


Die To Save You

by AnnoyinglyNormal



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Dimension Travel, F/F, Torture Scene, Yuri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-27
Updated: 2014-11-23
Packaged: 2018-01-26 17:13:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 88,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1696073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnoyinglyNormal/pseuds/AnnoyinglyNormal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a fight gone wrong, Raven was forced into another dimension. Now with nothing to help her but blind trust, her own power, and four superheros working hard to bring her back- she must decide how to survive in this new world, and whether to put her faith and her future in the hands of an escaped prisoner who had saved her on whim. Epilogue is posted on fanfiction.net as an extention of the same story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. There's No Going Back

**Author's Note:**

> Italics will be thoughts of a character, usually Raven unless specified otherwise, or a monologue for longer blocks of writing.
> 
> Possible Yuri / torture scene in later chapters; nothing too extreme in my own opinion. Also, while there is a lot of text blocks in the first one or two chapters, it thins out later on. One of the main characters in this will be an OC, one of the Kyoshi Warriors.
> 
> This, by the way, is set after the end of the Teen Titans series, and before/in the very beginning of Avatar: The Last Airbender. slight AU, nothing signifigant. (something like the timelines of the show (A:tla) and the story not lining up exactly).
> 
> I don't own Teen Titans or A:tla, unless I win a couple lotteries and buy them, in which case I don't have to post that disclaimer...so if I do become rich, you'll know.

*

**~Raven**

_Interdimensional travel, it’s a subject that I don't know a great deal about. Although I suppose others would not think that, considering that half of my family was made up of interdimensional demons. That being said, it should also be noted that while I can travel between dimensions, it is a skill I've only used once. During my childhood in Azarath I would become bored in between my studies and meditating. Loathing the place because of how restricting it was to me, yet almost grateful because I knew that without those monks, I would have become somebody, no, something, very different from what I am now._

_Regardless, the only time I've used my ability to travel between dimensions was to escape from Azarath. And in truth, I did not know where I would end up. I figured my best shot would be an empty dimension, devoid of life. That way I hoped I could not bring harm to anybody. As you already know, I had no such luck._

_What I'm attempting to say here is that while I can travel between dimensions, I have very little control over it. It took nearly a half of a lifetime for Trigon to control where he went, and he had the luxury of not caring where he ended up when he was figuring it out -along with a few hundred more years of a life span. Traveling like this required me to release more of my demonic side than I ever had before that. And while it was dangerous to release that much of my demon self, I had expected the danger and prepared myself as best I could. My greatest fear now, concerning interdimensional travel, seems rather trivial. Yet after arriving on Earth, getting lost was a major factor in my silent vow to never travel like that again. I have a home now. And now I have the closest thing to a family that I could ever have. If I ever were to travel dimensions again and run the high chance of getting lost, I would be chancing all of that. To gamble that is something I do not think I could do, no matter the consequences to myself._

_...That is, unless I had no choice in the matter..._

*

**~Titan's world**

"TITANS GO!" was the familiar call from Robin, as the team swept in to action against the new villain occupying Jump City. The Professor is what the underground has dubbed him. He was an average looking man, with nothing distinguishing except for his thick eyeglasses and balding head. His suit was a dark purple robe with a red trim. Simple, yet it almost radiated his arrogance. Robin had hoped the battle would not last long. During fights with new villains, the team had to take chances, gambles to see how the villain would react, and where his weaknesses were. They had to stick out their necks a bit further for him, to see what he would do.

As the team continued their assault; Raven stepped back for a moment, believing the rest of the team had things under control for the moment. She edged closer to examine the machine that the Professor was building. It was a large metallic disk, roughly five feet in diameter. Standing vertical, it was a foot or so higher than her, and as wide as she could stretch her arms out. This was due in part to the machines triangular base raising it over a foot, and the control box with just a few switches on it that was sloppily welded to the side on the disk

After almost twenty minutes of evading the Titan's attacks and keeping them at bay with small, but ineffective explosives, he was finally cornered against his own machine. The Professor had not proven to be a particularly difficult opponent, but definitely an annoying one for the Titans. The ideal battle, if there was such a thing, was to have the criminal subdued within the first five to ten minutes of the Titans' arrival, and even then, ten minutes in a fight was a lifetime. This was mostly in effort to minimize the risk of the team   
members getting hurt and damage to the city.

The Professor, however, had focused on keeping them away and had not used any weapons strong enough to seriously harm any of them. To Robin, it seemed like he was buying time; keeping the team occupied with him, but not allowing either side to gain the upper hand.

"Give up now and come easily demanded the weary leader, eager to get back to the tower and rest before filing a report.

“Well now, it's not like I have a huge choice in this, do I?” The Professor laughed, becoming hysterical. “It really is a pity to see this end, Robin. I was hoping for something grander   
than this wee warehouse. Anyhow, this all should still serve as a good test for my device."

Robin was unable to respond before the Professor pushed his fingers against a button taped on the inside of his wrist. The silver disk soon crackled to life, and began emitting purple bolts of energy that seemed to flow through the room. Robin, startled by the sudden activity of the disk, took his eyes off the Professor for a fraction of a second, allowing him to tackle Robin. The two struggled on the floor for a few seconds until Raven, who was the closest at the time, ran forward and used her powers to pull the Professor off from Robin.

Raven did not see the bolt of energy leap from the disk to her, nor did she remember falling to the floor immediately after. What she did remember was the ripping feeling, as if a force was trying to pull her organs from her. She had experienced this only once before; during her escape from Azarath to Earth. It was now a reminder to her; telling Raven what she would lose when the transfer was over. The first people she could call her family, her home along with it. Those were the reasons that she silently promised herself never to try dimensional travel again.

And in a distant, insane voice, she could hear the Professor:   
"Ooh my, it's working so well, and look!...It has even selected a living subject. Wonder if this one will make it through, I can't say the mice did!" exclaimed the professor as he   
clasped his hands in joy. Only to be cut off shortly after by a swift punch from Robin.

The Titans never had a chance to stop it. Cyborg, who was standing just feet from Raven moments before, had tried to pull her back from the machine. But before he could get close to her, he felt the energy course through his outstretched arm, frying his circuitry. He could feel it slowly creep closer to his motherboard, and had it not been for Beast Boy, who charged him and knocked Cyborg clear away from the machine, Cyborg may not have been functioning very much longer.

Robin silently vowed to bring Raven back. He watched the authorities drag the Professor back into their van. After hearing how his machine essentially vaporized their team member, and a brief call from the mayor, it was decided he would not go on trial until Raven was brought back.   
_If she came back._ Robin thought briefly.

He knew he couldn't think like that. He had to stay optimistic, for the team's sake at the very least. But his training with Batman had taught him to expect the very worst. He had to prepare himself for if she didn't come back, he had to prepare the team.

However, that didn't mean that the Professor wouldn't be seeing him again. Come tomorrow, he decided, he would visit him in his cell. If he didn't talk then, he would come the next day, and the next...

*

**~A:tla World**

A lone carriage bounced along the dirt road. In the back was Zuko, on his journey back from the Fire Nation capital. After telling his father of the Avatars recent return, Zuko and his uncle, who was driving the carriage, were now en route to the dock where his ship was under repairs. His father had given him barely enough time to finish the repairs; he had to be out of Fire Nation waters in four days.

"Zuko" Iroh said from the driver's bench. "Zuko!" he repeated.

"What is it Uncle?" he said, clearly irritated he was woken up.

"There's a body in the road."

"Then move it."

"Shouldn't we at least take them to the nearest town?"

"You mean the town that we passed two hours ago? It's too far."

"But Zuko, we cannot just leave her!"

"She's probably not alive, just move her off the road."

"Very well" Iroh said, dejected at the chance of having somebody to talk to taken away; but still relived at being able to stretch his tired legs. The girl had very pale skin and a deep purple cloak covered her entire body, save the head and a foot that poked out the side of the cloak. He grunted slightly when he moved her to the side, by no means because of her weight, but possibly his. The girl's eyes fluttered for a second when he was finished dragging her.

"Uncle! Were behind schedule already."

"Do have patience, just a moment now." He called back. Feeling bad for leaving the girl he tied a small leather pouch onto her hand.   
She had passed out again by the time the carriage had left.

*

Many hours later, Raven began to slowely regain consciousness. She felt the cold ground beneath her, and a woman, about her age, brewing tea over a the fire. Her belt was laying on the dirt ground an arm's length away from her.

"Good, you're awake." Said the woman as she looked up. "My name is Holly; I suppose you're not from around here."

She was wearing torn red pants, made out of a rough canvas, along with a loose fitting shirt. Some bandages wrapped around her left arm, just below her shoulder. She had a rather worn look in her eyes, but very alert none the less. Raven could not see the scars that crisscrossed her body beneath the clothing, or the few exposed oneson her arms in the dim light.

"No, i'm not." Raven said just above a whisper, her throat dry and coated with dust.   
Holly leaned forward and pressed a cup of tea to her lips, tipping it slightly for her to drink. Raven reached forward to take the cup, but her hand only rose a few inches before falling back onto her lap.

"Hmm, you're still able to move." The woman said, thinking to herself. "I gave you a drugged tea when I found you, took almost three times the normal dose to stop you from moving." She further explained. Raven tried to move her arm again, but to no avail. A paralysis drug. She glared at her, not being able to do much else in her human form. "You must understand. I don't intend to harm you. But if I trusted everybody I found on a roadside, I'd probably be dead by now."

"So where is here anyway?" Raven asked, holding nothing against the other woman. It was logical, after all.  
What a stupid question, it’s not like I would know anyway.

"The Fire Nation, right now we're just under a day's walk to the sea, if nothing interrupts the journey." Holly paused, "where are you from?"

"Jump City, it's...very far away."

"Are you on your way back home then?"

"It isn't quite that simple, I don't think I can go back right now.” Raven said, still unsure of how to proceed in this new world.

_If it’s a friendly dimension, staying can’t hurt, hopefully that machine wasn't random, and it can be replicated; probably not though. Best I get to another dimension, maybe one with technology, if this one proves to be dangerous._

"So where will you be heading tomorrow?" Raven asked, seeing that they were in a very rough tent, and not likely to stay in it for more than a night.

"South, to the shore, then I'll have to find a way to cross the sea and hopefully be heading east." She responded with surprising openness. "You're welcome to tag along, but I can't   
guarantee your safety."

"It would be appreciated if I could."

"Sure, but as a fair warning: I'm not exactly liked in these parts." The woman said, looking up at her.

"I can take care of myself."

Assuming this hasn't drained my powers, best if she doesn't know about them yet though.

Raven thumbed the small leather pouch, still tied loosely to her wrist, before drifting off to sleep in this strange world.

*

 


	2. Rude Awakenings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if anybody has an idea on what will happen next or how something should have gone, write it! my hope is to have one story with multiple people's different takes on it - or you could PM the idea to me (or leave it in a review) and if I think I can use it I will (try).  
> Bored-piper doesn't own TT or A:tla, if he did, he wouldn't be bored.

It was just before dawn when Raven woke up the next morning, she slept nearly a full nine hours; a rare event for Raven when she usually only slept four or five a night. The other girl wasn't in the tent. Without her new acquaintance being present, Raven decided to see if her powers had been affected by the Professor's machine. She levitated the leather pouch off of her wrist _. At least my powers still work; I shouldn't be a liability then._

She slowly worked the knot out of the draw strings on the bag, levitating it a few inches off the ground as she did so.

 

"So where are you really from?"

 

Startled, Raven tensed, releasing the bag suddenly and letting it fall to the ground.

_How did she sneak up on me? Nobody has done that in years._

“Like I said, 'very far away' would be the best way to describe it." Raven said defensively.

"Well that's the thing; we have our world pretty well mapped. I don't know of any place called Jump City. I also know that what you were doing, floating leather, isn't any type of bending.

_Shit. Wait, what's bending?_

"Well, I'm…not exactly from your dimension."

"My what?"

"Alright, imagine your world, all the stars, all the other planets you know of. Now imagine them in a box, that box is like a barrier, very few can travel past it."

"And I take it your from outside that box?"

"Yes, it was an accident during a fight with a criminal."

Holly just stood there, deciding what to make of her.

"Alright, get up, if we don't start walking soon we won't make it to the port by night."

"I…wait, you're still letting me go with you?"

"Yes. The only reason I'm alive is because others took a chance, I'd be a hypocrite if I left you here."

Raven only nodded gratefully and picked up the token that fell out of the leather pouch. It had a flower pattern with eight petals, printed in a cream color on a round piece of wood.

*

"Are you sure we should just leave the shelter as is?" Raven asked as they walked along the dusty road.

"Yea, there's a string of hidden shelters along this road leading to the port. Sort of a tradition to stay in one, and then leave it as it was for the next person who needs it. It was started by refugees escaping their villages."

"Refugees?"

"Oh yea, I forgot you didn't know about the war." She said, "Nearly a century ago the Fire Nation committed genocide on the air nomads. Then proceeded to attack the Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom, they've been fighting them for close to the last century."

"A century of war?"

"Yep, but enough of that, so what's the world you come from like?"

"Oh, well aside from the technology, it isn't too different from this" _same trees, same air, guess I lucked out again and didn't end up on a toxic planet_  “Although some of the people have powers, we call them meta-humans."

"So powers like what you were doing earlier?"

"Well, every person's a bit different, like…" _I doubt she would understand Cyborg, or Starfire. Beast Boy? Perhaps…_ she looked at the ground in thought _Terra!_ _Surely she could connect to that._

"Well, a former team mate of ours used to be able to control the earth, to an extent."

Holly smiled, "So you have earth benders there."

"Sure, in a sense." Raven said, knowing that the two were probably different, but not wanting to discuss it further.

*

The two continued to familiarize each other to these new worlds for the next few hours, making time seem to pass much faster than it really was. They talked until high noon, where they stopped to rest at a small lake just off the roadside.

"So the group that you're returning to, the Kyoshi Warriors, they've protected the island for the entire war?"

"Much longer than that, ever since the Avatar created the island. Close to three centuries ago."

Raven didn't respond, she rarely talked more than a few sentences at a time back on Earth, and now her throat was almost as dry as the rocks she was leaning against. She walked to the water and kneeled down to sip from the lake.

"I wouldn't drink that."

"Why not?"

"It's not boiled?"

Raven knelt down to drink anyway, her immune system was possibly the only thing she didn't mind about her demonic half. She was still drinking when Holly heard the distinct sound of metal against the tough hide of a komodo rhino. It was a sound she knew far too well.

"Hey Rave, how long can you hold your breath?" her voice a hoarse whisper.

"I'm not sur-" Raven said as she finished quenching her thirst. Holly then quickly shoved her into the water; following behind her as quietly as possible. As Raven tried to surface again, Holly clasped her hand over her mouth and, pinching her nose too, clung onto a few the two submerged.

 

*

 

A few moments later and within a stone's throw away…

"Hey Lt., how much longer before our patrol ends?" yelled a soldier to his comrade a couple strides away.

"Didn't I tell you to keep your voice down? We're supposed to be looking for the escapee, not alerting her. We'll turn back after this, I think we already went past our search quadrant anyway." He said, unwrapping some bread from the saddlebag of the komodo rhino that he had tied the reigns to a tree. He sat down on the same rock Raven had been leaning against moments before and began to eat. The other prison guard strode over to the water and sat down. Found great comfort as the cool water rose and fell along his tired legs.

Just below the water, Raven had started to thrash and struggle against Holly; Raven never expected to be pushed into the water and, aside from being very pissed, was quickly running out of oxygen. As her struggling continued, Holly only tightened her grip around Raven's waist. She stopped thrashing when she saw the outline of the soldier above her, with his feet hanging just below the waterline. Now she knew why she was pushed into the water, and what Holly had meant by being "not exactly liked" in this place.

Holly had hoped Raven had taken a breath before being pushed in. But now that she was running out of air faster than she had anticipated, she knew she didn't.

Thinking fast, she turned Raven to face her and pressed her lips hard against the other woman's.

_…What in Azar's name…?_

Knowing that Raven would be out of air very soon, she forced what air she could into the other woman’s lungs. She led Raven's hand to the roots she was gripping on to stay submerged, released her new friend, and pushed off of the lake's bottom, she propelling herself towards the surface.

Raven, who was still unsure of what had just happened, gripped the roots tightly and thought:

_That's suicide, we don't even know how many there are._

Holly had only heard one rhino, which usually meant only two or three men at most. Trusting only what she had heard was a huge gamble to take, for all she knew there could have been a dozen men waiting.

But there wasn't.

Just the two; and their numbers were quickly halved when Holly dragged the man on the edge of the lake into the water, and rendered him unconscious with an elbow to his temple.

One man left, and no more than a minute before Raven would run out of air again.

A dense blast of fire came at her and she dove back into the water to avoid it. Surprise had been with her at first, but now she was at a disadvantage. The fire bender knew who she was, where she was, and that wherever she surfaced, he could see her and attack. Raven could only look up at the events going on above. She felt more like the audience at the traveling circus she went to once. Not willingly, of course. Beast Boy and Cyborg had gotten Starfire excited about it, and once Star asked you to go somewhere, refusing was not an option.

 _Dammit, I can't think of that. Not now, not here._ She silently scolded herself. Looking up again she could see her friend clinging onto the edge of the rock shelf that ran below the surface.

_Well, guess I should prove I'm not a liability._

Raven formed an obsidian sphere in her palm, to ensure again that her magic had not been affected by the past day's events. Satisfied that it hasn't, she looked up again to see the shadow of the attacker. Her eyes were getting irritated by opening them, but she knew she had one chance to hit him. If she missed, he could flee and warn others before Raven would even be able to attack again; probably before she could even catch a needed breath of air. She condensed the sphere to even smaller a size and, placing the outline of the man in the area between her thumb and next finger, she released the sphere and sent it flying towards him.

The leg. That's where she hit him, not a very good aim for where she was hoping, but enough to count. The escapee that the prison guards were searching for was known to be dangerous, but not a bender. The man stumbled back toward his rhino and collapsed to one knee when Raven and Holly surfaced, both gasping for air.

"So that's what you meant by defending yourself." Holly said, ducking quickly to dodge a fireball from the wounded man not far away.

Raven was still gasping for air, but had enough energy to hold back his arms with obsidian ropes. Stumbling over to the man, Holly rendered him unconscious with another blow to the temple.

"C'mon Rave, I think we found a ride." She said as she mounted the rhino and offered a hand to the other woman.

*

It's been close to five hours since the fight. The two were still riding on the backs of the komodo rhino they had recently 'acquired'. Raven was now in front, she had offered to switch a few hours ago when Holly began to drift off to sleep and almost ran them into an irrigation ditch, much to Raven's surprise. With the dried land and desperate heat, it was hard to imagine anything could grow in this region, let alone that there was an ocean nearby. As they rounded the crest of the next hill, Raven could see the port city in the distance.

Raven shifted her weight slightly to make herself a bit more comfortable in the saddle. Holly had fallen asleep leaning forward and resting on Raven's back, but she was reluctant to move her despite being like that for the better part of three hours.

 _She did save my life after all; although I do wonder why she picked me up to start with. Considering what's already happened, it must've been a great risk for her to take in a complete stranger. In fact if she hadn't picked me up, she probably would already be on a ship heading home._ Raven looked back at the girl, her head was turned to the left and resting just below Raven's left shoulder. Her arms had become looped around Raven's waist with a tight grip to keep from being bumped off the rhino. _Hmm, I guess I don't mind this, besides - she's kind of cute like that…Wonder why that bandage is on her arm, she didn't seem hurt at all before_ …

Raven didn't want to wake her when they went into town, but, knowing it was inevitable, she guided the animal to the side of the road. _Doubt it's a good idea to ride a stolen animal into the town_. She pried Holly's hands apart and dismounted from the rhino, letting the other girl fall forward against the saddle with a soft thud.

"You could've caught me" She said, now very much awake.

Raven gave a brief shrug. “The port is within walking distance; figured we wouldn't want to ride a stolen animal into the town."

"Stolen? If I remember, he let us borrow it."

"Either way, are we going to go into the town tonight, or in the morning?"

"Trying tonight can't hurt, better to stay ahead of the news as much as possible too."

 _I forgot that most of the news here is carried by messengers, interesting. You could never travel 'ahead' of the news back on Earth. Not in the modern day at least_.

*

The two walked into town and, after passing by many closed stores, eventually found a tavern. The lantern above their door did little to light up more than just their sign, which had an eight pedaled flower on it. The tavern was well worn on the inside and much smaller than it appeared to be. Aside from the bartender there was only one other man, heavier, and probably in his sixties.

"Looking for a drink fellows?" the bartender asked, eyeing the two oddly dressed newcomers.

"Don't suppose you know where I could find a boat to rent tonight?" Holly spoke up, approaching the bar.

"Whew, it'd be tough this time of night. Be easier to wait 'till morning"

"We're in a bit of a situation, can we get one tonight?"

The bartender gave a halfhearted laugh. "You'll probably have to pay double than normal to get one then. But if you really want, there should still be a few workers down at the docks."

“How about the night fishermen? Or-”

“Lady,” he cut her short, “those fishermen won’t do the least for you if it means giving up their catch for tonight. Besides, most of them have already left.”

Holly gave a grunt and Raven followed her out the door.

"You do know we don't have any money to rent a boat, right?" asked Raven as they walked back into the street.

"Yup."

"You meant steal, didn't you?"

"Steal? That's such a harsh term; I prefer 'borrowing indefinitely'"

Raven rolled her eyes and tried to change the subject "Hey, does this have any value?" she asked as she untied the pouch from her belt. "It was tied to me when I woke up, don't know where it came from though."

Holly looked down at the token and, with a grin, turned back and started off toward the tavern again.

"Wait, so it's worth something?" Raven called out, quickening her pace to keep up with her.

Holly had already entered the building and didn't hear her.

"You find your boat that fast?" the bartender said jokingly at the two who had just left moments ago.

"Depends," Holly responded, placing the token on the counter.

The bartender glanced at the elder man at the bar, and received a quick nod in return.

"Ah, the White Lotus." He beaconed for Raven, who was standing by the doorway, to come closer. "It means that you might have a boat tonight; depends where you're going."

"The Southern Seas?"

The bartender looked down, "You'd need a ship for that, not just a boat. Besides, very few will give you a lift into Earth Kingdom."

"It's to Kyoshi, shouldn't be too much of an issue." She responded. Kyoshi had tried very hard to maintain its neutrality throughout the war, officially at least. Although it has been made rather clear that the Fire Nation was not a friend of theirs.

"You mean you haven't heard? The Fire Lord cut ties with that island two weeks ago. A few hours ago some sailors were sayin' that they were going to raid it every week until it falls."

"The more the reason for me to get back."

"Alright, but it's foolish if you ask me." He turned to the other man, "Aren't you and your nephew heading south?"

"Ah yes, there's a rumor going around about Whale Tail Island he wants to check out." The older man said. "Leave midday tomorrow if the repairs are finished."

_That voice. I know that voice…_

"It would be appreciated, if it's not too much trouble." Holly said.

The older man gave a wide smile. "It's never a trouble to help a friend in need." He stood up and began walking toward the door. "Dock three, by the way. Try to be there sooner than later."

Holly bowed, and motioned for Raven to do the same.

"Good, I'm afraid I can't let you stay here tonight though; neighbors get suspicious easily." The bartender told them.

"Thank you for the help." They said as they walked out.

*

So where do we sleep?" Raven asked, fearing the answer.

"I don't know, pick an ally."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look! A review button!


	3. No Pain, No Gain

*

They both woke up within minutes of each other the next morning. Most likely because of a nearby fight that was brewing and had caused quite a commotion. They had slept sitting upright, leaning against the other's back because neither of them cared much for lying on the ground. It was already nearing noon, and the port was busy with ships coming and departing; a constant cycle of loading, and unloading cargo for the workers. The vast majority of them were carrying cargo, with a half dozen small fishing trawlers and a lone warship; A small one at that, but still formidable in battle.

 Holly stood and, stretching her arms and back, looked up at the sky to where the clouds covered the sun. "Under an hour until noon, should probably head for the docks."

 Raven stood up and looked around, the memories of where she was slowly coming back to her. "Sure" She said, still tired but not in the mood to disagree. The two started walking away from the dock and looped back toward it a block later, in order to avoid the brawl that was sure to come. At this point, getting arrested would be among the worst things that could happen. Holly internally cringed when she saw dock three, with the warship high in the water. Of course the man would be on that ship. That damned ship, the only one that would kill her if they knew who she was. Most other ships on the port, especially the merchant ships, didn't care too much. To them, business with a man of different color clothing was still business, so long as they weren't in a military uniform. The two walked past a few of the small outdoor shops, when Raven spotted the man from the bar buying a stack of tea leaves from a vender.

 "So, what kind of tea did you buy?" Holly asked as she approached him.

 "Ah, it's their local specialty! Although I forgot the name" he responded with a chuckle. "Good to see you made it; I do apologize for not introducing myself yesterday. My name is Iroh." He stepped past Holly and shook Raven's hand. "I see you put it to good use." He said referring to the White Lotus token.

_So that's why he seemed familiar._

He looked over at Holly; "The Kyoshi Warriors are good people, and they protect their own." He said in a very hushed voice, "At least, I assume that is what you are?"

 She didn't answer him, she couldn't. It was hard to consider a person 'good' nowadays, and she knew that she was very far from that. Still, it was rare to see a Fire Nation citizen that was able to see both sides of the war. Of course, it wasn't their fault that many believe the other nations are evil. It's something that had been being taught to them young, and ingrained in their lives ever since.

"Regardless, please excuse my nephew if he is rude, he doesn't know you'll be joining us yet." Iroh said after the brief silence.

 Before the group boarded the lone warship, they decided to stroll through the shops one more time. The two let Iroh talk most of the time as he explain various items and products unique to the region. While Holly just trailed behind, enjoying the peace while she could, and giving thought to what the upcoming passage on the warship would be: _Spirits only know what the journey on that ship will be like. Iroh seems kind enough, and doesn't look like the man who takes shortcuts on pleasantries. Granted, we may have to be working in the engine room to receive passage. I wouldn't be opposed to that, done it before just to get home. Raven on the other hand, it isn't her home. That work won't do for her…_

Raven looked over the stalls with a passing interest. She had far more concerns about the events of yesterday. Glancing over at Holly, she let her thoughts wander: _She desperately wants to get back to her home, so she probably wasn't away from there willingly. That and she's a couple days journey from where she found me, and I don't even know how long she was traveling before that. So why would a person move across an entire sea and then some, just to try to get back? And with people trying to stop her along the way too, those men on the rhino were uniformed after all. Which means they weren't just bandits, had to be hired or military; and they were looking for her specifically._

Raven looked back at her again. She was looking at some fabrics at a stall, or at least appearing to be interested. Her eyes, a worn grey, had a faraway look. Honestly, Raven wasn't sure she could get her full attention right now if she wanted to. She silently wondered why, what had this person gone through? Raven, the child of a devil, had no doubt seen awful things; but what happened to this one person to affect her like this? It's not that Raven didn't trust her. No, this woman had saved her life at an extensive risk of her own. Back on Azarath that would be considered a life-debt; where one person would protect the one who had saved their life until they had "paid off" that debt. _Maybe that's why I'm with her._  Raven though briefly, even though she knew there was really no other place for her to go.  _No, the life debt hasn't been practiced in centuries. It's simply impractical in the modern world. But… this isn't exactly a modern world_.

The trio began making their way to the dock when a young man with a top knot and a scar over his eye past them. Raven could've sworn he looked familiar, and quickly pulled up her hood before he turned around. Still, she couldn't place him until he approached Iroh with squared shoulders and n aggravated expression etched in his face.

 "Uncle, we set off in ten minutes, where have you been?" He struggled to keep his voice below shouting. _So he was the other one on the carriage_.

"Oh, just around the shops, and I've found two friends to accompany us on the way.”

“I told you to talk to me before you do that! Look, just make sure they don't get in the way; and if the second one isn't here soon, we're leaving anyway." _The one that wanted to abandon me_

Raven and Iroh looked back to see Holly missing.

"Oh, it won't be more than a few minutes, just be patient now." Iroh said easily as the young man rushed off, pushing past the throng of people around the shops as he went.

The two waited for a moment in silence until he was well out of sight, Raven scanning the crowd for her, but Iroh was just looking through his new purchases.

"You can come out now." He said to seemingly nobody. But a moment later Holly was standing at their side.

"How did you…?" Raven never finished that sentence.

"Stealth is something we learned very young." She interrupted.

"I see," Said Iroh, noticing her clothes "You were right to hide, he would have noticed a prisoners outfit immediately. Although I don't know how we will get onto the ship without incident because of that."

_She was a prisoner? That would explain a lot. Getting captured and moved forcibly across the sea. But her, a criminal? The same kind I had fought back on Earth for years? No, doubt that much. She had saved my life. Ah yes, the war. It must be because of that. She's a criminal in the eyes of the Fire Nation, but only them. I suppose she's more of a hero to me._

Iroh was scanning the shops from where he stood, but with no success. The venders here could only sell cloth, which would then be sent to factories to make the clothing. He looked at Raven again and realized what he could do. Yes, sometimes the simple solutions really are the best.

 "Raven, would you be kind enough to lend her your cloak?"

 It was a simple switch, with Holly covering her distinguishing clothes with ease and Raven, while not much to her approval, still being able to board the ship wearing her leotard. Despite the calls from deckhands who assumed she had a price. After all, leotards weren't as commonplace in this antiquated world –at least for a person with an “honorable” profession.

  _Never assume, it might get you killed._ She thought to a group of the sailors on the deck. She knew she had been letting anger loose a bit more than she should have recently. But at least nothing was said aloud. No harm done, yet.

 The trio stepped down below decks and, after taking a few turns, arrived at Iroh's room.

 "Down the hall and to the left is your room. It will be three nights and two days until we reach Whale Tail Island, and from there you should be able to catch a ferry. I, ah, suggest you don't go up on deck for the rest of the day. It seems my nephew isn't in the best of spirits. Do forgive him though; it's a troubled time for all of us." He nodded briefly and gave a wide smile before retreating into his room.

 Their room was small, probably meant to only hold one person originally. Fitted with a bunk bed and a small shelf and painted a dreadful grey. Their dinner, along with some clothes close to Holly's size, was delivered by Iroh a few hours after they had left the harbor. Two cups of his new tea and some small bowls of rice was their only meal that day, although Holly ended up giving the tea to Raven and did not finish her rice. The two entertained themselves the rest of the night by sharing stories of each other's home world.

*

The next day Raven woke up early and followed Iroh up to the main deck. In the fresh morning air he taught her the basics of Pai Sho, while Holly would sleep very heavily until midday. Aside from brief rain showers later in the day, the time passed with relatively good weather; and by the last full day on the ship, Iroh's nephew had come down to the deck and introduced himself. Zuko had not been rude, nor did he appear to be a harsh person beneath the façade he had put up. Maybe blunt would be a better word for him. Iroh, Raven supposed, was right. He was just troubled, for what reasons though, she could not grasp. Their third night on the ship, the night before they disembarked on Whale Tail Island, Raven told Holly of the many planets in her universe, and the different environments that were on a few on them. As midnight drew closer, a lone hawk flew toward the warship.

*

“Ensign!” Zuko yelled at the nearest person he could see in the ship's bridge. "Fetch my Uncle, now!" Zuko reread the paper clutched in his hands as the messenger hawk stood on a nearby table.

The ensign didn't respond, but started climbing down the ladder as fast he could. The captain wasn't happy, not an uncommon occurrence; but it was not a time argue with him, only to do as he says when he gives you an order

"Yes Zuko?" Iroh asked, thankful he hadn't fallen back asleep before the ensign had come to his room.

"What is this?" he shoved the scroll of parchment from the messenger hawk in front of him.

"A wanted poster."

"For whom?"

"Two young ladies, it looks like." He said, pretending to squint at teh parchment.

"Ugh." Zuko spun around and hit the wall in frustration; thankfully opening his fist before it hit so he didn't break his fingers.

"You can't just pick up random people anymore! They're criminals. If they make it to the island they'll be gone, and we'll be as marked traitors!"

"Traitors isn't too far from what we are right now." He said grimly.

Zuko just grunted and left the bridge. He would solve this himself.

*

Holly had been sitting up in her bed when the sailor rushed past their door. In fact, she hadn't gotten more than three hours of sleep that night, due to one of her reoccurring nightmares. That's why, the nights she wasn't plagued by them, she usually slept close to twelve hours if she wasn't interrupted. Those nights have slowly been dwindling.

She had heard Iroh's conversation and gently shook Raven awake. The two had waited a minute for the messenger and Iroh to pass by until they slide open the rust door sprinted towards the spiral staircase.

Luck was not on their side that night.

They ran square into Zuko, dressed in full armor and an enraged expression carved on his face.

Zuko let loose a blast of fire, despite being in the close quarters of the spiral stairwell. As it came, Holly pushed Raven down a few steps and turned to use her back as a shield against the flames. The fire burnt away much of her kimono with ease and bit into her skin. The stench of burnt flesh brought back unpleasant memories to Raven; memories of her past, but now was not the time to dwell, she scolded herself as she pushed the visions of hell out of her head.

With severe burns on her back, Holly reached forward and, pulling him towards her, shoved him down the remaining stairs. Using his top heavy weight from to the armor to throw him off balance, he lost precious time trying to catch himself from falling. The two ran up the stairs to the upper deck, the fresh salty air aggravating the new wound on her back. Through many years of "experiences" she had grown accustomed to pain, but by no means immune. With years of training and the high amount of adrenaline coursing through her, she just clenched her fist and fought through it. They fled to the aft of the ship, having few other options. It was then they realized their situation. They were surrounded by water, and trapped with a madman bent on killing them, probably for good reasons too.

Zuko had emerged from the hatch leading below decks only a few seconds after they had. He too had seen their predicament.

The wanted poster said the criminals weren't benders; but Zuko knew how easily fooled the soldiers could be when giving reports. Besides, Zuko figured, any earth bender here would be useless on a metal ship, and the only water benders who could pose a threat to him were far in the northern water tribe.

Shooting two long streams of fire to his sides, he cornered the duo to the remaining aft section of the ship's deck. He said:

"You have two options. Either you come without a fight or you can take your chances with me. I'd prefer the later."

_Damn psychopath_

"Hey," Raven said, looking behind her briefly. "How cold do you think the water is?"

"One way to find out." She said with a grin.

She grabbed Ravens wrist tight so they wouldn't lose each other in the darkness of night and, with one final breath, the two threw themselves backward and over the low railing, into the churning sea.

"Wha…" he let loose a scream of frustration. “The spotlights, spotlights! Somebody!" he screamed, but nobody would hear him. The crew knew not to be on the same deck as him when he was like this.

Zuko could hear the muffled scream Holly had let loose when the icy salt water contacted her wound.

 _Nobody can survive the night in the sea. Open wound and freezing water._ Zuko thought to himself. He then turned and marched to his cabin to write up the report, on how had confronted a dangerous criminal and her accomplice; and how they had taken their own lives just before they were captured.

Holly had passed out from the pain when she hit the salt water, still gripping Raven's wrist almost painfully tight. She never saw Raven form a disk of obsidian beneath her and levitate them out of the water. Nor felt Raven swiftly rip away the soaked kimono, revealing the wound on her back. There was only one deep burn, almost a foot long and several inches wide, stretching diagonally across her upper back; but the surrounding area did not escape damage earlier. Raven's eyes wandered from the singed edge of the cloth wrapped around her chest to the lower portion of her back. She was taken aback by the amount of scars crisscrossing her back. Many very thin ones climbed upwards and under the cloth, with a few of the heavier ones continuing past it and snaking up along her back. She unconsciously traced one of them with her finger. _And I thought I had seen what hell was like._ She snapped back to reality and wrapped her blue cloak around Holly, knowing it was dry and, unlike the wet kimono, would hold in the heat instead of suck it away from her.

 _Thank Azar Robin had us waterproof everything_ she thought, remembering a particularly bad fight during their first weeks of defending Jump City. They had all ended up in the bay save for Beast Boy, who had reminded them about it for weeks once they had all come down with the common cold.

She felt guilty as Holly moaned from the pain. Healing, like everything else, had its limits and took time to do; and right now her priorities were preventing hypothermia and getting onto solid ground.

Just under an hour and a half later, Raven began descending down to a secluded shore on the eastern tip of what she hoped was Whale Tail Island. She had already passed a large portion of the same island minutes not long before, but decided against landing when she saw soldiers dressed in green tunics heavily populating the island. She wasn't sure if they were friendly or not, but wouldn't dare take that chance.

After walking the floating platform into the relative safety of the woods, she lowered her friend, back facing up, onto the ground. Kneeling beside her, she began the lengthy process of healing the burns. Holly awoke shortly after the she started:

"Where are we?”

"Not a clue. That island the ship was heading for I think."

"Oh" she said, she clenched her teeth when Raven removed the cloak as gently as she could without tearing the skin that had dried onto to it.

She reached to unravel the linen bandages around Holly's arm when Holly, with a bust of energy, turned to her side pushing her wrist away from the area; she glared at Raven, but looked away with a small grunt from the pain that moving had brought.

"I was just trying to heal it." Raven said, but silently doubting there was anything under it at all.

"It can't be healed." Holly responded bitterly, as she slumped back down onto the dry earth.

"Okay…I won't be able to heal all of this at once; it'll take one, maybe two more sessions."

"This is already more than I could ask for." She said gratefully, gazing at the horizon where the sun would soon rise from.

Raven sighed and started healing the woman before her.

_I've been in this world what, three days now? Or has it been four? Either way, I've only really met two people: Iroh and her. Those soldiers and the bartender don't count - don't even know their names. Zuko though? I really only met him yesterday for an hour when he came down to the deck; seemed nice enough then, but not the other times, definitely not that last time…_

The better part of an hour passed with Raven doing what she could to stop the bleeding and prevent further infection. Dawn would be coming soon, and if they didn't leave before it came, they would have to stay until the next night; or else run the high risk of being seen as they left the island. Holly, Raven knew, was in no condition to stay in the dirt any more than she already had. Raven drew her hands away from Holly's back and stopped the healing process for the time being.

She woke up a few minutes later to Raven cutting the kimono into long strips to use as bandages for her back. After applying them as best she could, Raven formed another disk next to her and helped Holly to get up and sit on the edge of it.

_Don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep expending my energy like this, haven't meditated in what seems like an eternity, especially with all the recent changes._

She grimaced a bit, not looking forward to the next time she meditated, knowing that her emotions would hate her for neglecting them for so long.

Holly looked up from the edge of the disk, gazing at the few remaining stars as they became slowly washed away by the coming dawn.

"Umm, yea, well Kyoshi should be east of here, or maybe south. There isn't really enough stars out to tell." Raven rolled her eyes at this.

"Then we'll go southeast, just point the way."

"Well, I also can't tell which way north is."

"You're kidding me." Raven said to herself.

"Wish I was."

"Fine." Raven said as she lifted the platform higher and started heading in the opposite direction that the ship came into the islands port.

Flashback:

Suki was staring at a man dressed as a Fire Nation lieutenant. A rather short man actually. To be fair he was just under an inch shorter than Suki, and maybe 20 years older. The raiding party that day had let a small party off on the other side of the mountain before sailing into the main harbor of the island. Allowing five Warriors to be flanked and the majority of them captured. Suki, glaring at the leader, was curious as to what they would do; considering they only had enough men left to guard one or two prisoners effectively.

"I'll ask you kids again, bring me to leader of the militia here and no more harm will be done."

He studied the identically painted face of each person in the lineup and gave a small nod at the man next him, who then gave a wave for his men to drag a small boy forward. The boy was part of a small family of merchants who decided to leave the next day instead of just hours before. She recognized him particularly because he almost went swimming in the bay with the Unagi. Despite the multiple warnings they had given the merchants.

Suki had her left foot forward, about to step up and let them take her in exchange for the family's safety. It was her duty to protect the people of this island, and anybody taking shelter on it at the time. That's the code she was taught and trained by, and that was the one she would follow.

"Leave this island now and let the merchants to do as they please, I'll go with you for whatever your intentions are." The voice came from behind the soldiers. Suki looked around wildly. She hadn't stepped forward yet, none of them have. The other four in the line were equally as surprised when they saw the speaker. Holly, she was leaning against a tree no more than fifteen feet from the soldiers.

Suki stared in shock with her jaw slack as Lin held her back.

Holly, of all people. She had always acted as more of an outlier. Not to Warriors, she was family to them; but to the villagers. It was because she was the only warrior who wasn't born on the island –a sore topic for many of the members of the council. She was brought here when she was no older than six when her village was washed away in a flood. Hiroko, the Warrior who brought her back, chose to train her for the next generation of warriors. Of course, the decision and her stubbornness about it had not gone over well with the council. In fact, the only reason Holly was trained to be a Kyoshi Warrior was because Hiroko had threatened to leave the island if they didn't allow it.

 The many questions about her background that had been left unanswered are why most of the villagers didn't trust her. Nobody knew what village she came from, or even her birthday. Some weren't even sure if she knew. More than once had the villagers suspected her of trying to snatch a free ride on the island instead of protecting them; or that she was stealing precious food and planning to flee with it one day.

That is why Suki was shocked when Holly had told those soldiers to take her to the prison. She had spent more than a few restless nights pondering the actions of that day. How could Holly subject herself to the infamous horrors of a Fire Nations prison, for people who would think twice about attending her own funeral?

Suki had never asked nor wanted another soul to go in her place.

She could never forgive Holly for doing what she did.

Yet she would be eternally grateful for all that she had sacrificed.

It was close to three weeks before they saw Holly again. She went from the merchant ship that she had stowed away on straight to the dojo and fell asleep in her hammock. She woke up hours later to eight annoyed but very relieved faces looking down at her. They had to replace her hammock the next day, as several of the ropes were stained in blood.

That was only the second prison Holly had been to, and it would not be her last. The prisons over the years had noticeably changed her. She would never talk about what happened in them, and she began distancing herself further from the group as she returned from each prison. She had stopped swimming with the Warriors on their days off after her second prison, instead preferring to take walks in the valleys or sit on a small hill overlooking the bay.

Despite these changes, what worried Suki the most was when she had asked her why she went in her place:

"Simple really, you've never been to those kinds of prisons before. It kills you, just a little more every time; and without a leader we wouldn't be able to protect this place much longer. But me? I'm rather expendable."

It was more of an answer than Suki expected, more thought out and brutally honest too. Despite Holly basically saying that she wouldn't be able to handle it, Suki never asked her about it again. And truthfully, it was probably more of a valid opinion than she would've liked.

She realized many things during those days after Holly returned. Among them, Suki had realized why she really went with the soldiers. Holly wasn't protecting the people. She was protecting the only home she had left. To do that, she figured, she had to protect those fighting for it.

*


	4. Welcome To Wherever You Are

“You mean he escaped!?” Robin tried to restrain himself, but did little to hide his anger at the Prison Warden.

“Well, not quite sir…you see, we have no records of him actualy entering the prison.” He said, backing away from the teenager.

Robin rushed out of the room and called Cyborg to tell him.

“Yo Robin. We have a bit of a situation here.”

“Have one here too. The Professor never went to the prison, I’m about to go to the asylum and check if they mixed it up.”

“No, just come to the Tower.”

“Cyborg, our first priority is the Professor, let the police handle anything else.”

“Dude, I know. We, uhh, found him."

“Great! Where is he?”

“In our tower – locked us out, man, he’s starin' at me from the roof. Holding up a sign too, I can’t read it from here though.”

Robin sighed. It was a few days away from a full week since Raven was taken.  So far the only thing they could do was try to reconstruct the machine. The state’s senator had blocked him from interrogating the Professor so far. Today he came without intentions of getting permission. Today he needed answers.

Breaking possibly every traffic law the city had, he sped through downtown on his motorcycle towards the tower, with nothing but anger and determination consuming him. Exiting the tunnel that led to the tower’s garage, he found Cyborg waiting for him. Robin noticed the doors, which were covered in metal plating, and realized Cyborg was right.

They were locked out.

Robin briskly walked to the door. Tapping against the wall he found hollow spot behind the wall and took off the panel, revealing a fingerprint scanner.

“Dude, why did I not know about that?”

“Had it installed when you were on a mission for a couple days; figured we might need an override someday.”

Taking off his glove and pressing two of his fingers against it, the machine glowed yellow for a second and flashed red.

“What?” Robin said to himself. He pressed his fingers to it again. Then his other hand, but to no avail. Beast Boy walked in from where he was standing with Starfire outside.

“Hey Robin,” Beast Boy said “The guy just dropped these off the roof.” His hand extended with a bundle of black and white striped wires in it.

Robin snatched up the wires and let loose a scream of anger, kicking the wall in the process. “Those connected the security systems to their backups.” Cyborg explained to the rest of them.

“Oh yea,” Beast Boy continued, “he also wanted to talk to you, he’s still on the roof.”

Robin rushed out of the garage to where Starfire was, with Beast Boy and Cyborg following just behind.

“Where are you!?” he yelled, looking up at the roof and squinting his eyes because of the sun. A small head poked over the side of the building.

“I heard you rebuilt the machine.” The Professor yelled back.

 _Of course we haven’t, not completely at least –not even mostly. After all, the machine began smoking just after Raven disappeared; and everything inside of it was melted together into chucks of rubber, melted metal, and cheap burnt circuits._ Robin thought, but of course he wouldn’t say that. _Best to play along_.

“What of it?”

“I need it.”

“Why would you think-” Robin was cut off.

“Hey, I need it just as much as you. Leave your weapons here and go to the main door.” He yelled, his voice getting scratchy and dry. “If you don’t, you’ll never be able to get to the world where she was sent.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“It took me years to create it, do you think a teenager would just be able to get it working on the first try? That is, after all, the only chance you get.”

Deep inside Robin knew he was right. All the Titans could do, thanks to that cursed senator, was rebuild the machine. They didn’t know how it worked or how to control it. Quite frankly, it was suicide to try it without the Professor, despite the Titan’s hatred of him. Robin unlatched his utility belt and let his bo staff slide to the ground along with his other weapons.

“Alright, now come to the door.” He said as Robin walked slowly to the large double door. Being twice as tall as Cyborg, they were now very imposing to him as he had no control over the tower. The two ton door swung open easily on well balanced and greased hinges. With light feet he walked into the main hall and turned to the elevator, pressed the roof symbol, and waited as it accelerated up skywards.

“Look, I know you don’t trust me, you have every right, but we both need that machine right now.” The Professor said quickly as he saw the elevator doors slowly open.

He was different, Robin noted. Not the borderline insane man they had seen only days ago; but now more subdued. Like a man who had lost his purpose but still held a glimmer of hope for the future. It was then that Robin realized he wasn’t a threat. In fact, he had not tried to directly kill any of them during their battle, unlike the other villains of Jump City. That was something that had been bothering Robin for the past few nights. But what on earth could make the hysterical man they had seen only days before turn into this one?

“You’re going to have to give us a good explanation.  You’re asking us to help build the machine that you used against us.” Robin said, his body, a weapon in itself, tensed and ready for anything.

“Because we have both lost somebody, and we both need it to get them back.” The professor said over the wind, quickly but desperate.

 Robin was shaken by that response from him. He was ready for _almost_ anything. He had never considered that the machine was built as a tool, as a way to help. No, instead he had seen it as a weapon, something that would be used to move armies onto unsuspecting lands.

“Why should we trust you?”

“Her name was Renee Hanley. She was my wife, please, give me a chance; I can explain this, all of it.” He was practically begging at this point. Even Robin, who had been trained to ignore this, felt pity for the man before him. If he had lost somebody close, and was using the Machine to get them back, then he must know the pain the team had gone through during the past week. In fact, he must’ve known that pain for much longer. A machine like that takes years of dedication to build; furthermore, the entire thing appeared to be built by hand when Robin and Cyborg examined what was left of the wreckage. He, no doubt, also designed it. Thorough research by Cyborg had shown that nothing of this type has been built before. The only thing that he could find was “theories” about how it might work, but no designs that the Professor could have used. This man must’ve been a genius when he was in his prime.

“Then you had better start explaining, every last detail.” Robin said as he flipped open his communicator and called the rest of the team into the tower.

 

*

 

 It was no more than an hour away from noon when Raven spotted an island on the horizon. She set the disc down on a secluded beach, where small pebbles replaced sand and half a dozen boulders littered the beach and the shallow water. She set Holly, who still was awake, against a boulder close to the water.

“I’m going to look for help. Will you be fine here for now?”

Holly just nodded. It was the first time either of them had spoken in over an hour and a half, instead preferring to enjoy the silence. At least that’s what Raven did, and it was considerably easier because emotions coming from the other girl were few and very faint. _Curious how that is._

Raven started down a well-worn trail leading in into the woods, figuring that there must be a village at the other end. And with a village there was people, which hopefully meant a place for them to stay; a real shelter. Not a tattered tarp hung between trees or an alleyway in between long closed buildings.

 

*

 

 She had only been walking for a few minutes, she could see smoke rising above the tree tops that were covered in a light frost. She hadn’t noticed it before, but they had traveled far enough south that it was close to winter here, no more than two weeks away. She felt a cold chill on her neck. Not the kind that a stiff breeze brings, but that of cold metal against warm flesh.

“Your kind isn’t welcome here.” Said the voice behind her. A voice of a teenager, but it held confidence and bitterness; the voice of a teenager who had been forced to grow up much too fast.

“Mind telling me what my ‘kind’ is?” Raven chose her words carefully. If this was Kyoshi Island, she had been told they didn’t take kindly to outsiders.

“Walk forward, and don’t look back.” The other woman said, not answering the question. The two walked like that for a short time, the warrior’s fan pressed against the back of an intruder’s neck, with its sharpened edge lying flat against her skin. The warrior matched Raven’s gait as they walked toward the pillar of smoke rising from the treetops.

The building they arrived to wasn’t large at all, not much larger than the common room of the Tower. It was a simple design with three walls surrounding an open platform with a wooden floor. Behind the platform was an interior wall, creating a large room in between the platform and the far wall. The smoke that she had followed was coming from a fire on the far side of the building. The girl led her onto to the platform and called out a name that Raven didn’t catch. Another girl exited the back room dressed in a green robe with armor over the chest. The katana at her side and her painted face did nothing to calm Raven.

“Who’s this?” The girl who just existed the building asked. She had short auburn hair and wore a larger, triangular headdress opposed to the simpler one that the other wore.

“Don’t know. She was on the northwest trail from the beach.”

“Secure her in the dojo. I’ll call back the others.” The one who appeared to be the leader turned back and went to the fire. She picked up a blanket that was soaking in a small bucket of water and, spreading it out, held it over the fire stopping the smoke and then pulled it back releasing a puff of smoke. After doing this four more times she went back into the building. Meanwhile, the other girl gathered a length of rope from the building with Raven

_No, I can’t be taken. Holly’s still hurt, if she isn’t healed soon I won’t be able to stop infections. She’s as good as dead if that happens, it’s not like this place has modern medicine to help..._

*

In the main village two of the Kyoshi Warriors looked up at the smoke plume. Masa and Ko were on duty in the village that afternoon, wandering throughout the town and helping with the unloading of the merchant ships that came to the island before winter set in. Aside with breaking up the occasional bar fight, it was an easy and enjoyable shift for them. Ko looked lazily to the sky, she and Suki had been covering Holly’s shift for the past fortnight that she had been gone; because of this, neither of them had been able to get for that a few hours’ sleep at a time. _Not that it mattered_ , Ko figured, _it’s something any warrior would do for each other._   Ko and Masa looked to the bay once more scanning for ships, and started walking the short distance back to the dojo.

On the eastern side of the small island, Akiko looked disappointedly at the plume of smoke rising in sections. She was the youngest of the Warriors, but only by a few weeks. _Only on her day off_ she thought _would this happen_. Such terrible luck she had, last time she had off, nine days ago, she had to help break up a fight between some Water Tribe merchants and Earth Kingdom soldiers. Why the soldiers were even on the island she never found out; but it didn’t concern her much as they never did come back. She kicked the leather ball back to the group of younger kids she was playing with and started jogging toward the smoke.

On the rocky beach Holly looked up at the smoke cursing under her breath. She didn’t think they would call the others back when she came, they haven’t before at least; which probably meant they took Raven as a threat, and she could do nothing to get there in time.

 

*

 

Back at the dojo Raven allowed the girl to tie her hands behind her and her feet together.

“Are you the Kyoshi Warriors?” Raven asked, still unsure if she landed on the right island.

“What of it?” She responded, pulling the knot tight behind her.

 _I’ll take that as a yes._    “I have a friend that’s injured, she said she’s one of you. That’s why I’m here.”

“So your friend can tell a lie.”

_A lie? That can’t be, could it? Impossible, the stories, the descriptions she had were so detailed, so real…_

“What makes you so sure?” Raven asked her, “Why do you think she was lying?”

“Because the only one of us that isn’t here doesn’t make friends very easily.”

_If only I could get them to see Holly, then they would recognize her and help us. If she really isn’t one of them, I can hold them off for a while. Besides, if they have never seen my powers before, there’s a good chance they’ll just flee._

Raven smirked as the girl turned and walked over to the wall to lean against. The ropes binding her were silently encased in black and shredded to pieces. Capturing a sheathed sword hanging from the wall with her energy, Raven launched it at the girl’s back and, catching her off balance, sent her falling into the weak wall of the dojo. Raven ran out of the building and headed down the path that she was led there by. The other girl, who Raven would later come to know as Suki, exited the dojo and started after her, maintaining a distance but going slower than what Raven thought she could.

_It’s as if she letting me keep going…_

Raven could hear the waves against the shore, her heartbeat pounding in her ears   _Azar, I should get into better shape_ just then another person, dressed similarly to the others, stepped in front of her and, using her own momentum to push her against a tree, held her there until the leader and the one she pushed into the wall appeared moments later.

“Mind telling us who you are?” the leader demanded as she approached.

“I told you, I’m a friend of – ”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Then what else do you want me to say?”

“The truth.”

_Stubborn little…_

“My name’s Raven, I came from a place called Jump City in the United States…”  She said, repeating the words that Holly had believed when they first met.

“Raven? Odd name.” said the girl who had her pinned to the tree.

“Yea Aki, it is.” The girl Raven had pushed said.

“…I’m with a group called the Teen Titans, we protect our city…”

The leader gave a throaty laugh. “Look, I don’t know who you are or where you’re from; but talking crazy won’t help you right now.”

“It isn’t all that crazy, you know.” A weak voice said. The four girls swung their heads in shock to see Holly gripping a tree and practically doubled over in pain.

“You mean it’s true?” the girl Raven had pushed said to herself.

“Damn straight.” Raven mumbled as she pushed Akiko away from her and ran over to Holly.

The warriors, whose ranks now had grown to five, didn’t quite know what to make of the situation until they saw Holly leaning for support on the strange newcomer. It was then they figured that if she trusted this girl, it was good enough for them too.

 

*

 

“So you found her on the side of a road?” Suki asked.  The Warriors and Raven were sitting around a fire as the sun settled below the horizon. Raven and Holly had just finished reciting the past few days’ events. Raven, who had now been introduced to all of the warriors, looked at the faces lighted by the fire. They seemed much less intimidating without the face paint on, except two of the nine women sitting around her. They had slept through their arrival and woke up within the past hour. They, Suki had explained, were covering the night shift as they rotated every week.

“Yea, carried her to the closest shelter.” Holly responded as she sipped from a small cup. Raven had just finished a healing session before they sat around the fire. She had been able to lessen much of the pain, and started healing the flesh around the main burn. _One more session,_ Raven thought, _and then there isn’t much more I can do; although it should be mostly done by then._

“And you told her that same story about Earth and a different dimension?” Ko asked Raven, nodding in her direction.

“Yes, I guess I was lucky in coming here, many places wouldn’t think twice about leaving me back on that road.”

Yumiko, one of the warriors on the night shift, stood up after finishing her bowl of vegetables and walked over to the stream to rinse it out.

“Ko,” she said, “you got my night shift tomorrow, remember?”

“Hey! But that’s my day off!”

“Can’t go back on a bet, you know that.” Yumiko said before she started walking into the town carrying a lantern.

“What’d you bet on this time Ko?” Holly asked her.

“Oh, whether or not you’d hurt yourself before you got back.” Holly just looked at her unbelieving, while the other girls giggled a bit, except for Raven, who wasn’t sure how to react.

 

*

 

An hour later, Raven helped put out the fire with Suki as the others retired for the night, with Holly leaning against the dojo waiting for them to finish.

“Raven,” Suki said, the word still sounding foreign to her, “You can use Yumiko’s hammock for now. We’ll string up the spare one in the morning.”

Raven nodded as Suki walked into the dojo.

“Hey Rave,” Holly said quietly as Raven went to enter the building. Raven turned to see her looking down, as if not sure what to say. She made another sound that sounded like half of a word, but quickly cut it off. “Never mind, sorry, see you in the morning.” She said all too fast, and ducked inside the building in front of her.

 

 

 

 

 

 


	5. Under A Very Black Sky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter had been revised since the i last posted it a few days ago (as in, i posted the wrong verison, heres the right one.)
> 
> just had a few extra scenes during the fight, enjoy and R&R please - it's like currency to us writers...

 

I don't own Teen Titans, or Avatar: The Last Airbender - except in this weird dream I had where I conquered the world and forced Fox into making a second season of Firefly…I wish I had dreams like that more often now.

Enjoy!

Raven was the last to wake up the next morning, aside from Yumiko and the other girl who was in the town last night. She walked through the doorway and into the large, three walled room that opened up to the outside. In it five of the Warriors were going through the motions of lunging and parrying with their fans. Just past them where the wood floor stopped and dirt began, another person was cooking some soup in a large bowl over the fire. _If only I could tell who was who_. After standing there watching them for a moment, the one who was making the food waved her over

"Morning," Akiko said, as Raven nodded, recognizing her voice, "breakfast will be ready soon. While you're waiting, you should be able to find Holly down that path. She goes there a lot after she comes back, but I doubt she'll mind if you disturb her." She said, gesturing to her left.

_The five training, one cooking and two sleeping; she's right, Holly isn't here._

Raven nodded again and followed the trail that Akiko was pointing at, having little else to do.

 _Hopefully the Titans are making progress on the machine, although I'm curious how they will. Very few people know a lot about dimensions, and even the leaders in the field are working off of theories. Humanity isn't ready for something like that to become well known, I just hope Robin sees that before he tells anybody that it's possible_.

Raven looked up at the silhouetted woman sitting upright on the small hill, overlooking the ocean to her right and the village on her left.

"It's quite a view" Raven said as she approached her.

"That's what they've said." She responded, her knees pulled up to her chest.

"Mind if I join you?" Raven asked as she sat down next to her. _She must've been here hours, she hasn't changed into the uniform the others were wearing yet_.

"Would it matter if I asked you to leave?"

"No."

"Then I guess I don't mind too much." The two sat in silence for a few moments before Raven spoke:

"Fair enough; could I ask you something?"

"I can't stop you." Holly said, being particularly blunt this morning.

"Alright. Then why did you pick me up off that road? I mean, you were obviously in danger, it wouldn't have made sense to pick up somebo-…" Raven stopped talking when Holly turned and planted a small kiss on her cheek. Her eyes widened a touch with pleasant surprise. "Suh –, somebody who you couldn’t trust…” Raven tried to finish her statement, still surprise by the turn of events.

"Sorry, that was…" Holly trailed off, shaking her head at herself. _Spirits I'm an idiot…bet she'll just get out of this world as soon as she can now…or at the very least leave the island…my fault too…_ “Look…just ignore that, all of this, okay?" she said again, after taking a minute to scold herself. "I didn't mean to…Just…never mind, food should be ready soon." Raven didn't respond to any of this, as Holly got up and started walking back towards the dojo, brushing past Ko on the way down the hill, who had come to fetch them for the meal.

Breakfast was rather silent that morning. When Raven showed up, her face a shade pinker than its usual pale, the nine warriors were sitting around the fire once more, eating out of wood bowls. She sat down next to somebody she didn't remember the name of, but was across from Yumiko. Next to Yumiko was Holly, with her eyes downcast and refusing to look at her.

_Why didn’t I say anything back there? There’s so much that could’ve been said. If I had, she wouldn’t be upset at herself for it, maybe she would actually look up from the ground. After all, it’s not like it was unpleasant…or unwelcomed._

Raven came out of her thoughts to hear Suki talking in between chewing.

"Akiko, you'll take the docks today. Holly, I gave you the village with Masa."

"But I should be at the docks today-" Holly went to protest.

"You just got back, take it easy for a few days."

"Oh, so I get out of training?"

"Not a chance" Suki said with a grin,

"Damn."

The warriors dispersed themselves to where they were needed that day, and before Suki left she waved Raven over and said:

"It's a small island, so there isn't going to be much for you to do, but you're welcome to look around in the village or market, there's also some pretty trails around the mountains."

"I was thinking about meditating actually, is there a place nobody will disturb me?"

"Sure, that rocky beach you arrived at isn't really used by anybody except us, there's also the Kyoshi shrine. That's pretty secluded too, it's just a few minutes' walk north of here."

"I think I'll go to the shrine then, thank you."

"Sure thing." Suki said over her shoulder as she walked away.

*

Raven walked up to the shrine, a small well-kept building atop a hill overlooking the bay, with the stone path wrapping around it. She stepped in and looked at the dozen or so artifacts that were on the shelves on each wall. _It's beautiful_ , she thought, looking at the painting of Kyoshi that covered most of one wall. _If only art was still like this back on Earth._

Raven stepped outside, _guess I'll just sit over here._ She thought, picking a sunny spot on the stone pathway surrounding the building. She crossed her legs and levitated up a few inches, closing her eyes she focused her energy, thankful for the silence

*

“Hey, hey." A little girl no older than six said as she tugged on the end of the sheath on Holly's katana.

"Hey to you too."

"Holly! You're back!"

"Yup, how's things been here?" Holly said, kneeling down to see her eye level. The girl, whose name was Rena, was one of the only villagers who would talk to her; and consequently one of the only ones that Holly was patient with. Her father was a merchant who decided to settle down several years ago, but moved to the island after the Earth Kingdom Army salted their farmlands, fearing the Fire Nation would try to set up a colony there. He now ran his own farm up in the mountains and went to the village every few days to sell his produce. Rena frequently hung around the village after school having little else to do while her father was working.

"Not bad really, who was that person in purple? That you were on the hill with?"

"Didn't I tell you to stop sneaking around?" Holly said, annoyed that somebody else had seen them.

"What else am I supposed to do then?"

"Study?"

"But I already know all that stuff!"

"Point taken. Hey do you want to help me?"

"Ooh yes! Can I?"

"Of course, just stand right where I am." Holly stepped aside and guided her into place. "And don't move." She said as she walked off to get some food from a vender. She smiled at Rena one last time before turning the corner. _Awesome kid, lucky man her father is._ She thought, reflecting on the many times they've had conversations like that last one with each other. Holly had taken it upon herself to take care of Rena when her father was working, and usually spent her days off with her. Moving to Kyoshi from the outside was never an easy thing to do, even for a kid, who one would expect to make friends easily. Holly knew this, and Rena was probably the closest connection she had to any of the villagers.

Holly looked over the rest of the fish from that day's catch at the vendor's stall, and picked out a slice for Rena and herself. She paid for the food and started walking back to Rena, _she must be getting bored by now, I know I would be, so she definitely is. Suki should know that "taking it easy" doesn't mean being bored to tears._

_*_

"Bout damn time you showed up, that purple _thing_ has been harassing us for days." A voice said from behind Raven

She looked over to see herself in an orange cloak, standing with her arms crossed and tapping her fingers against her arm.

"Rude, why did I show up in here?"

"Beats me, I ought to sue you for trespassing or somethin' for this." Raven looked around Rude's domain, as she had never been in it before.

"Yea sure, where's the others?"

"Do I look like a map to you?" Rude responded, causing Raven to roll her eyes and walk around Rude and out the gate behind her. She entered onto the largest platform, where all her emotion's domains led into. She looked to the far edge and saw a stone chair, several feet higher than Raven. The chair, which stood empty at the moment, was how one emotion would be able to take over her more than the rest. Raven thought back to the many times she tried to destroy it, all of them ending with her giving up and Wisdom explaining why it was pointless.

Wisdom was sitting on a rock reading:

"Oh good, you're finally here."

"You too?" _Even Wisdom was waiting for me? Odd._

"Not just me, we've all agreed on this. Even Rage."

"Agreed on what?" Raven said, getting impatient.

"That she's annoying." Wisdom said quietly, pointing to a purple clad Raven sleeping sprawled out on the floor a dozen feet away.

"L- love? What's she doing out of her domain…” Raven said to herself. _Cage would be a better word for it_. When her name was said, Love perked up her head at Raven, wide awake now.

"Rave!" Love called out as she got up and ran toward her. "You've come! You've come!" Raven tensed expecting a hug like Happy would give, but Love stopped short and stood in front of her, and grasped her shoulders.

"Why are you out?" _Could it be?_

"Her, of course, you know that." Love stated with a smirk.

"But it's impossible, I'm in a different dimension. It couldn't happen—" Raven said, turning to Wisdom for an actual explanation.

"Oh shut up about that dimension stuff. Love doesn't care about by any of that." She said, closing her book and listening to the conversation.

"…"

"Ugh, can't you see it? I like her; therefore you like her, and we both know what that business on the hill was about!" Love continued with excitement.

"But it's impractical, we'd be separated when I go back to Earth…"

"If you go back to Earth, and don't even bother arguing with Love, I've tried that already" This from Wisdom, who was standing watching their conversation.

"Look Raven, just don't screw things up with this. It's genuine, and probably one of the only chances you'll get." Love said, trying to reason with Raven

"Thanks for the confidence boost."

"And besides," She continued, ignoring Raven, "I am one of your more powerful emotions; I could just, say, take you over or something." She said, giving a shrug and grin.

"You wouldn't."

"Better her than Rage." Wisdom injected.

"I thought you were on my side!" Raven turned to face Wisdom.

"Hey, cut it out, something weird is going on outside." Courage yelled over as she exited her domain. Raven heard Courage and gladly walked away from the discussion Love and Wisdom were getting into again. _At least now I know what they've been acting up about. Maybe Love has a valid point…_

Once exiting her mindscape, Raven opened up her eyes and lowered herself to the ground. Looking up she saw that the sky was dotted with blackened clouds, moving quickly with the wind from where the bay was. She saw with horror the warship that was anchored offshore, and started running towards it hoping that she could be of help to her new friends

*

Two Kyoshi Warriors stood in front of the six Fire Nation komodo rhinos as Akiko and Ko approached behind them from the docks. "What's the meaning of this?" Suki yelled to the soldiers as she arrived to the village. She noticed a few of the villagers still lingering by their doors or some of the travelers watching from the side. _They're all still too close, if they get caught in the middle of this I don't know what will happen_.

"This island and its residents are officially enemies of the Fire Nation. You must surrender this island and assure cooperation of all citizens or be forced to do so." The middle aged man shouted to nobody in particular.

Upon hearing this, Suki started laughing while Ko and Akiko ran forward from behind and jabbed their closed fans into the flanks of two of the komodo rhinos, causing them to rear upwards and throw their riders off. A few swift blows and two of the men were unconscious, while the other two began fighting with Ko and Akiko.

Suki leapt into action dodging fireballs from their captain, while the man sitting behind the captain opened a satchel and began tossing red cylinders at the warriors and nearby buildings. Masa kicked one away from her before it exploded while Holly was struggling two spearmen who had dismounted while trying not to reopen her previous wound.

The first spearman swung downward at her shoulder, she twisted her body sideways and broke off the spear tip. She kicked the second man away a few feet as he came at her and she pulled her katana partially out of its scabbard, ramming the handle into the first man's abdomen. She pushed the first man, now doubled over, into the second man and the two tumbled into the range of Ko’s elbows and fans

A grunting sound came from behind Holly, Suki shouted a warning to her, but it came too late. She spun around to see a large grey beast inches away from her, and another spearman mounted atop the animal. Just before the spear was thrust into her shoulder, the wooden shaft was encased in obsidian and the man on the rhino lurched forward, surprised that his weapon wouldn't move. The spear was shattered into pieces, and Holly pulled the man down and shoved her knee into his stomach. The rest of the people had stopped and looked at her, the six warriors and nine soldiers alike. This power, one that nobody had seen before save for Holly, was quite a shock to those who saw it. But to the Warriors' credit, they quickly recovered and disabled four more soldiers before they could react. Raven ran forward to where Holly was and, using her powers, bent the armor of a soldier around his ankles as he tried to stand back up, and followed after with his wrists.

In a flash of green and black, Raven had the wind knocked out of her as she fell back onto the ground. She looked up to who she thought was Holly, who had tackled her down and now was on top of her, covering most of her smaller body. Only when Raven had heard a clash of metal and a few choice expletives from a man behind them did Holly finally yield to Raven trying to push her off.

Holly stood up with her shield in one hand, and her katana in her other; just like the two warriors in front of her who had moved to protect the two while they were down. _So that's why she tackled me down._ Raven thought as she saw a half dozen, four inch arrows sticking into the leather armor on Holly's back. _I can still see the metal tips embedded in the leather, so they didn't go through, thank Azar for that, and for her reaction too, I never would've seen them coming in time._

*

“Those dirty bastards! Trying to cheap shot me like that, I'll show 'em, they should be watching their own backs…" Rage spat to nobody in particular, as the green clad Raven tried to hold her back.

"You know Courage, letting her out just this once would end the battle quickly."

"Love! You can't say things like that, letting her out would mean losing to Trigon."

"But it'd be just this once, and not really be for a bad reason. If you did let her go for just a few minutes, our friends wouldn't be in danger anymore."

"I told you, we can't do that!" Courage strained as she tried to hold back Rage and continue the conversation.

"The warriors are already out numbered; she'll get hurt if you don't."

"She? Of course, it's only _her_ that you care about getting hurt isn't it? Why don't you think about the rest of us? Hell, think of what it could do to this entire _island_!" Courage argued with her, letting her concentration switch from Rage to Love.

Love smiled at the unintentional outburst from Courage she had caused. Courage faltering like that had been perfect for her. It had distracted Courage for a second and had given Rage enough time to overcome and push past her. Rage stepped on Courage as she ran over her, on the way to the dull stone throne that was Rage's ultimate goal. Stepping onto the pedestal that held the chair, a wicked smile formed on Rage's face; _she_ had control now, and until she gave those bastards on the outside world payback it would be hers to keep. Rage sneered at Courage, who was on the ground with Love sitting on her; Courage could not stop her now, and the only other emotion powerful enough was helping her. Finally, after years being caged and suppressed, Rage would have her release that she craved to no end.

*

It took less than a minute for the battle to end.

Holly had not seen Raven's normally violet eyes turn a crimson red, and then elongate and split into four eyes total. Her face was no longer visible and obsidian tentacles sprouted from under her, lifting her far above the others. Rage looked wildly from left to right only to see green kimonos around her. _Must find the red ones, green isn't an enemy yet_. Rage slid herself through the green kimonos and golden shield that had protected her and spotted the nine men who attacked them, and therefore, who had attacked her. Two tentacles shot out from under her with lightning speed, barely missing one of the Kyoshi Warriors still in front of her in the process. They wrapped around the leg of a soldier who had started retreating, and the torso of the man with the crossbow. Rage tightened the bindings on the second man until she heard a couple satisfying cracks of his weak ribs; she tossed him aside into another man who had tried to flee from her. Retracting the first tentacle, she dragged the unharmed man towards her as two more came out from under her, and grasped his other leg and an arm. A flash of fire came at her as the captain realized what was happening to his team. Rage raised up the man she had captured and held him in the path of the flame, his captain tried to bend the ball he fired away from his countryman, and managed to do so with only millimeters to spare. She threw the man with ease at the captain and moved on to the next soldiers who dared get in her sight.

*

"Hmm, ok Rage. I think that should be good for now."

"What? Do you think I’ll get down? No, you can't take this away from me. I'm free now, I'm in control at last, and no little purple clad _thing_ can stop me." She snarled, her four crimson eyes laughing at Love.

"Fine then," she said, standing up and letting Courage stand too. "But you're coming to close to hurting the others."

Love and Courage started advancing towards the throne. Never before had just one emotion been able to defeat Rage, and although it was normally Courage trying to, it was widely believed that nobody else could either. Love and Courage both knew that, but this time, it was not just one of them.; and with no small struggle, together they just managed to pull and drag her down from that chair and lock her back in her domain. Leaving the chair empty once more.

Less than a minute later Wisdom slapped Love across the face, practically losing it in trying to explain how dangerous it was to ever ally with Rage, let alone help her take control. Whether or not the message made it through, though, she couldn’t tell.

*

Right after Rage threw the man that was her shield into their captain, and with the remaining soldiers, she was no more. The Raven that was standing seven feet high slowly shrunk back down to her five foot ten frame. Leaning against Holly and gripping her head tightly. _Will they just shut up in ther_ e _?_ She thought as her head pounded loudly in her ears. She looked up briefly to see the backs of two Kyoshi Warriors with their shield still at the ready and weapons drawn, despite the fact the remaining three unharmed soldiers had quickly given up. _Aren't the Warriors scared of me? And yet they still stand in front of me to defend us, or is just it Holly? That would make far more sense. Azar, I owe them a lot of explanations for this._

*

 

The remaining soldiers were lined up on their knees in the village square, with some of the villagers guarding them. They gave no resistance except their commander, who had recently regained consciousness, he had only yelled at them, but allowed himself to be bound. Suki was impressed but also very wary of what Raven had showed she can do. Although it seemed more of a "rare occurrence" to Suki, as it made no sense to fight every battle only to nearly faint before finishing it. Her fellow warriors would no doubt have many questions for her later, but now they knew they had a job to do. Suki and the others, excluding Raven who stayed back in the village, spread out to find where the tender was that the soldiers used to get from the ship to the island.

"Why do you trust her?" The captured leader yelled to the villagers. "She's clearly a witch; she'll turn on you before you can stop her!"

A well-built farmer who was guarding him looked down at him, and decided to ignore him. Raven looked away from the group of villagers. _Of_ _course they would think that, it's something they've never seen before. Not unlike the countless others back on Earth and Azarath who believe that I cannot physically do something good. But I do wonder why the villagers aren't against me?_ Raven looked across the bay to see a small metal boat coming into the bay, similar looking to the ship offshore and carrying the same flag. She raised her hands and readied her powers, but lowered them once the warriors climbed out of the craft.

"What do you plan on doing with them?" Raven asked as the warriors walked into the village square.

"Sending them back." Suki responded, getting a curious look from Raven.

"We'll secure them in the boat, jam the rudder and send them back to the ship. Once they hear there's a "witch" on the island, they won't come near us for a while." Holly filled her in while the others kept on walking to get the prisoners.

"By the way," Holly continued, "they burned down our building as they made their way to the village."

"The dojo?"

"Yea, really pissed off Yumiko when she woke up to flames too; although she managed to get everything out before the fire really spread. On a side note, Suki always wanted to have personal huts for each of us, surrounding a main building. So we'll probably start building them tomorrow." _It's as if she's ignoring the fact that I could've destroyed the island less than ten minutes ago._

"You have that pretty planned out already."

"The single dojo was the design of the warriors before the ones who taught us, everybody after them has hated it." She said with a bit of a chuckle. "We've been waiting for an excuse to build a better one."

Raven and Holly stopped walking and looked to the shore, where the disarmed soldier were already piled into the boat, the rudder was jammed, and the boat had cast off heading straight for the ship.

"Well what are you standing here for?" Suki asked, walking up to the group of warriors. "You all have posts to be at." The girls looked around sheepishly and scattered themselves. "Ko, I want you to stay in the village, keep an eye on that ship for the time being." Suki and said stepped over to Raven. "I was hoping you could help out in the village too, that ships still a huge threat right now." Raven nodded in response and took a post not far from where Holly was leaning against a wall. The rest of the warriors dispersed to their original posts around the island and one of them went back to the still burning dojo to begin cooking the meal for later that night. Within another hour the market was filled once more and the village was functioning with relative normalcy. It was calm the rest of the afternoon and Rena had even gone up to Raven, and they talked for close to a half hour. Holly had made it clear beforehand to Rena that she shouldn't ask about the hill top or the recent battle, and for that Raven was thankful. The warship had multiple birds flying to and from it throughout the afternoon and, after Rena explained what they were for to Raven, Raven showed the little girl her communicator and explained to the best of her ability how it worked.

Slightly more than an hour before dusk, the warship had left and the atmosphere of the small village was improved greatly, with villagers at ease; but the warriors and the village leader knew what the day’s events had meant. Their humble island could not stay neutral in this raging war for much longer. It did not mean that they would require Earth Kingdom support, but indicated that living comfortably and feeling safe would soon be a thing of the past. That the time had come, as it was known it would eventually, that Kyoshi would have defend itself from enemies, and not find safety in being overlooked by the higher ups in the Fire Nation.

With some help from a few local earth benders, the Warriors had a shelter that night – despite the fact that very few of them could even sleep.

And while half of the warriors slept, Suki and three others doubled up on night watch that evening, while Raven spent the better part of the night cursing Holly out as she tried to heal the reopened wound.

*

 


	6. Freak Like Me

*

A couple puffs of smoke rose above the tree tops as Holly looked up from where she was, still leaning against the wall at her station. She started to walk slowly to what remained of the dojo when Raven touched her shoulder, lightly, as if she hesitated and was unsure. She turned to Raven, who had her hood pulled up in attempt to hide the very faint tinge of redness to her face.

“I…uh…Was wondering if you’d like to, I don’t know, like, grab a bite to eat or something. Maybe that teashop I saw on the way to the shrine…” _What’s with me? I’ve never been at a loss of words like that. Is it because of this? Or just a fluke…_

Holly just stared back at her, disbelieving.

“Never mind, I’m sure you’ll probably be busy anyway, I know Suki was making a training schedule last night.” Raven quickly said after the silence.

“No, no, not busy at all. Just, are you serious?”

“Yes.” Raven said, focusing on a spot on her cloth boot.

A wide smile grew across Holly’s face. “I’d love to, ah, meet you there in maybe twenty minutes? Just let me get changed and…yea.” She flashed a smile and started jogging to the clearing where the dojo still burned. Raven stood there for a second and started walking to the tea shop.  _If Love is wrong about this I swear I’ll kill her. None of the others would miss her too, it’d be perfect. Happy might be disappointed, but not for more than a day or so. Happy, by definition, can’t be mad at me._

 

*

 

“Dude, that’s messed up.” Said Cyborg. The four Titans were sitting on the large couch in the common room and the Professor, who had just finished telling his story, was sitting on the opposite end facing them.

“So your pregnant wife, Renee, was sucked into one of these portal things almost seventeen years ago?” Beast Boy asked, although the Professor had already explained it to them.

“Yes, the ‘portal thing’ was a dimensional collision between this world and the one your friend was sent to. Before it could only happen in theory, many thought that a passage between dimensions would simply tear apart both worlds.”

“You said that the survival rate wasn’t ideal for your machine, you really believed your wife made it through?” Robin asked, knowing he was being blunt, He was sure the same thoughts had crossed this man’s mind before and therefore felt a touch less guilty for asking him. Robin thought: _This man is no criminal, just a desperate scientist trying to fix something; A brilliant scientist too, no doubt. I guess we really did miss judge him, I hope._

“Oh yes, of course. You see, my machine had never been successful before Raven went into it. The difference is that the actual portal that formed many years ago was a direct link, meaning the dimensions were right next to each other, so there really was no chance that the person could have missed the entrance to the other world.”

“But the machine isn’t a direct link between the two, how are you certain that Raven made it?”

“Mainly because it was Raven, if my research was correct, she’s an interdimensional being.”  Robin silently cursed at the news coverage that had followed Raven for nearly a full year after the Trigon incident. There was no hiding her past to the public that time, but the team had managed to downplay it substantially, along with leaving out a few choice things about her past.

“If she was,” the Professor continued, “then she would have been able to control her trajectory to a certain extent.”

“Control her what now?” This from Beast Boy.

“My machine works by opening a small hole in each dimension and launching the person on a path to the dimension. Your friend would have been able to control her path, subconsciously I would assume, because of her heritage.”

“Right.” Beast Boy said again, not fully understanding what was just said.

“You said there was only a slim chance your machine would work with normal humans.” Robin said. “We can’t take any risks using a machine that could kill us, you know.”

“Of course, that’s why I came to this city to start. I was hoping to consult Raven on this matter, but as that’s no longer, ah, possible, I believe some of her tomes still hold he answers to fix my current design.”

“What are these ‘tomes’ you speak of?” A curious voice came from behind them.

“Just a fancy word for books Starfire” Robin answered her.

“…books that are in Raven’s room.” Beast Boy said, looking at Cyborg.

“Oh no way. Nope, Not happening this time.” Cyborg said quickly, holding his hands in front of him with the palms out.

“Say Starfire, Raven let you into her room once to meditate, right?”

“Oh no friend Beast Boy, we did that on the roof.”

“But still, Raven and you bonded a lot.”

“I guess, we did go to the great halls of shopping once or twice.”

“Great, so what books do you need from Raven’s room?” He asked, turning to the Professor.

Robin lightly slapped Beast Boy on the back of his head for what he was doing to Starfire, but did not protest against it. After all, Raven wouldn’t stay mad at Starfire for very long, and that’s assuming she even found out about it.

 

*

 

Raven gazed at Holly from across the table as she counted out a few coins to pay for the meal. The tea was refreshing for Raven, and the meal was good despite not knowing what exactly it was. “Fish” was all that Holly said when she asked, not being able to read the menu. In fact, Holly didn’t read the menu either; she just pointed to a meal on another table and said “The same as those people.”

Either way, it was a pleasant meal, and Raven concluded part way through that Love may had been right. _Love may be right, but still, I can’t lie to Holly about who, or what, I really am. She trusted me from the start. To an extent at least, the drugged tea was a bit excessive. Regardless, she trusted me the majority of the time, and she deserves to know my past sooner than later._

“Hey, can we take a walk?” Raven said, swallowing hard.

“Sure.” Holly stood up and pushed in the wooden chair, dropping the coins she set aside on the table, not to actually pay for their food, but as a tip for the older woman who owned the tea shop, and worked as a waitress there too. The Kyoshi Warriors, as Raven later found out, would usually refuse any money or gifts offered by the villages; in response the tradesmen started helping fix their equipment free of charge, and restaurant owners would serve them free of charge as long as they didn’t abuse it.

The couple started walking down the nearest path, a small dirt trail that winded through a thick forest and led to a rocky beach; where the ocean quietly reached up across the rocks and receded back every few seconds, where the moon illuminated the water and scores of stars dotted the sky. It was the same beach that they had arrived on the day before.  _Incredible how it is at night, much better than the dull grey it was when arrived here._

“So,” Raven said after clearing her throat a few times, “what I wanted to say was, to put it simply, that I believe our feelings are mutual and, well I suppose that’s the only reason I’m really to say this.” Raven hesitated.

“Go on.”

“I’m sorry, but it just won’t work between us –”

“Seemed to work fine for the past hour, and didn’t you ask me in the first place?” Holly said, miffed by the turn of events.

“Please, listen and let me finish, and then you’ll see why.”

“Go on.”

“To be blunt, I’m not entirely human. My father was a feared demon –”

“Was?”

“Yes, I defeated him not too long ago, and although he still exists he was greatly weakened. Now will you stop cutting me off?”

“Maybe, probably not.”

“Again, my father was a demon and because of that I’ve seen some very, very horrible things, despite being raised by monks for most of my life.”

“So you’ve seen awful things, what’s that have to do with us?”

“So I’m half demon, and have seen what many would call Hell. None of that bothers you?” Raven looked at her disbelieving. _Not the reaction I was expecting by any means, especially in this world, where religion usually has a great influence when technology is lacking._

Holly threw back her head and gave a bit of a laugh. “Trust me, we’ve all seen our own version of Hell.”  

*

A few of Raven’s emotions, the ones who had come to see what was going on outside, stood close to the edge on the floating rock platform listening to Raven’s conversation.

“How dare she insult us like that! To laugh at everything we’ve gone through.” Rage spat as she struggled against Wisdom and Courage’s grip. Timid had disappeared almost immediately after Rage showed up, and now cowered behind Rude.

“Oh will you shut it? At least let her say what she needs before blowing up, will you?” Love yelled back at her, standing only inches away from Anger with her hands resting on her hips.

“She doesn’t deserve to say anything; I swear, let me just get at her for a second and –” She was cut short by Love grabbing ahold of her collar and roughly pushing her off the edge of the platform.

“What? Rage made me mad.” She said simply, shrugging as the others gawked at her.

 

*

 

Holly sat on the boulder and, after a brief silence, slowly started to unwrap the linen bandages that covered her upper left arm.

Raven leaned on the same boulder, and asked: “What are those?” pointing to the black numbers that were now partially uncovered as Holly continued to unravel the linen bandages.

“My versions of Hell.” She said. “They’re ID numbers, each from a different prison.”

Raven stared at the five numbers inscribed on the woman’s arm, each six digits, while most looked to be tattoos, one or two had less defined edges, as if they were burned onto the skin.

“That was my first one,” she pointed to the top one. “I was eight I think, or maybe nine. Wasn’t as bad as the others, really just a lot of waiting for Hiroko to come back to the cell each night after they took her. I didn’t understand what they were doing to her at that age, only later would I know.” She spoke with a hollow sound to her voice, as if reading a passage out of a book and not telling of her past. “Hiroko was my mentor by the way, only reason I’m on this island.”

“Do any of the others have those?” Raven asked with a small voice, rubbing her thumb across the burnt skin and not entirely sure if she wanted an answer to that question.

“Ko has one or two I think, but she got out before they could do anything to her. I try to keep them away from the prisons as much as I can.” She reached up and guided Raven’s hand away from her arm before starting to wrap it back up.  

“So would you really want a, a freak, like me?” Raven asked sheepishly.

Holly looked at her and shook her head, saying: “freak is subjective, but yes, yes I would. And would you put up with me?”

“I’ll manage.” Raven smirked playfully, yet relieved. “It’s getting late, want to head back now?”

Raven nodded and the two walked together back to the clearing, soon falling asleep on the cold ground.

 

*

 

…A few hours later that night, Ko, who was on the night shift, came back to the clearing where their dojo still had embers glowing in its ashes. After opening an airtight jar and picking out a small piece of salted meat for herself, she walked over to where Yumiko was sleeping and nudged her ribs a few times with her foot. The now awake Yumiko looked up at Ko, who pointed to two figures for a moment and then reached down and pulled a silver coin out of her friend’s bag. She held the coin up for Yumiko to see and started walking back to her station. “Damn.” Yumiko said under her breath and sat up. _So Ko was right about them._ She thought as she looked at Holly stretched out on the ground a dozen feet away, with Raven sleeping perpendicular to her and resting her head on Holly’s abdomen. _Good for them, never should’ve taken that bet. Even for us that one was probably pretty low._

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	7. This Broken Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read the author's note at the end, and enjoy this chapter of mostly plot-less fluff.

 *

Raven woke up to the metallic pounding of a hammer against a thick nail. Her cloak had been rolled up while she was sleeping and now propped up her head, replacing Holly from the night before. Holly, on the other hand, stood a few feet away from her and was nailing a wood board to connect two of the four posts that would the corners of the soon to be cabin. Raven twisted her head to the side to see the other eight Warriors doing the same thing, each in different stages of their own lodges.

"You're really building it around me?" Raven mumbled as she sat up and dusted off her leotard; brushing her hand over the accumulated stains and a few tears that were beginning to form.

Holly smiled down at her, and said "Of course." through the nails that she had clamped in between her teeth.

"If you'd like you can build your own, I'll help out when I'm done and I'm sure the others will too."

"You really think I can build one of those?" Raven asked rhetorically.

"Point taken, I could make this one a bit larger if you want."

"I wouldn't mind, where could I wash my clothes here?"

Holly gave a curious stare. "You wash them?"

Raven visibly cringed and shuddered at the response.

"I'm joking," She said as she let out a loose laugh. "There's a stream a few minutes' walk toward the mountain, but it's probably too cold this time of year. Just past that there's a small hot spring. That should work fine."

Raven rolled her eyes at the 'joke' and began walking in the indicated direction.

"By the way, Suki gave us the day off today. And why don't you take a spare kimono with you until we can patch up your clothes, before the tears get worse." Holly said over her shoulder, as she tapped in a new nail into the board.

Raven strode past the stew that was brewing over the fire, the pile of debris from their old dojo, and the other warriors each building their own new homes. _A calm day after yesterday's events._

She thought as she felt the warmth of the autumn sun on her back, and odd sensation as it mixed with the cool air.

 *

"Hey, what's going on with Holly? She's actually smiling today, not just faking it like normal." Akiko said as she drank a cup of hot tea with Ko. Akiko had always been able to pick up on those things, more than anybody else in the group. Without Akiko pointing it out, nobody would've been able to tell that her smiles were often just a front.

"I dunno." Ko said, deciding to keep what she saw last night between her and Yumiko. All the warriors knew that Holly had stuck her neck out for them more than once, so respecting her privacy was one of the very least things that they could do. _Of course_ , Ko thought

, _it was an innocent question. But if anything actually is going on between them, Holly will tell us when she decides to._

 *

Raven found the hot spring easily and, using some shrubs as a screen, quickly changed into the green kimono. After placing a few stones on her clothes to stop them from drifting away, she left them to soak in to steaming water and decided against scrubbing them with loose sand for fear that the small tears in the flimsy fabric would grow. She sat down and let her feet dangle in the water, and pulled out a piece of thick paper and a pencil that she had borrowed from the pile of items that used to be in the dojo. It had been a spur of the moment decision once she saw them, unusual for Raven under normal circumstances; however, many things weren't normal right now, such as Holly's state of euphoria – or the fact that it's because of a being from a different world.

She had only written down a paragraph in a small and neat script when she decided to pull her cloak and leotard out of the water and scrub some of the areas that appeared to be free of wear. She slung her wet clothes over her arm and headed back to her new friends, the paper tucked into the sash of her kimono.

 *

Cyborg stood in one of the tower's few floors that rested below sea level, hunched over a metal table with several tanks of carbon dioxide next to him. He was welding two halves of a disk back together, moving slowly and carefully, as the seam had to be as strong as possible. The entire floor was open, with two rows of tables against the walls and what was left of the base of the Professor's machine in the center. On the tables were the many parts of the machine in various stages of reconstruction. Only a few of the subsystems of the Professor's machine had the Titans been able to start rebuilding, and while Robin had tackled that job, Beast Boy was sorting through the piles of twisted metal that was left of the machine, deciding what to scrap and what may be of importance. Starfire sitting was next to Robin and absentmindedly twirling her hair around her finger as she flipped through the pages of Raven's books, she was only on the third of seven books that she had found and although she was moving slowly, she had been able to grasp the abstract concepts with amazing ease.

Cyborg finished the weld and began to grind the seam of another part smooth. He was not working on part of the machine like Robin was - instead he was constructing a small device, no larger than a lawnmower engine, according to the Professor's design. Cyborg took a moment to let the metal cool and surveyed the room.

They had not made nearly as much progress as they had hoped, and while they were working tirelessly there was still many daunting challenges that loomed ahead of them. One of them, that Cyborg was certain that Robin had already thought of, was the fear that was in the back of everybody's minds, whether or not they realized it. Was Raven still alive? There was no way they could know right now, and all of their efforts may have been in vain if she wasn't. That was the reason why Cyborg did not work on the machine to return Raven back to Earth. No, instead he was working to amplify their communicator's signals. Using the theories that their former enemy had provided, Cyborg worked not to return Raven, but to contact her first.

The Professor was not exempt from this tiring work, as he was alongside Robin piecing back together the masterpiece of his life's work. He had already worked out a few of the minor flaws in the design, and was only restricted by the lack of knowledge about the subject. Despite devoting all of his resources to his goal, the key to his success was in the ancient scripts of the leather bound books that were stacked upon a table no less than twenty feet from him. The answers that he so desired were written in the margins of those ancient books, scrawled on sheets of paper that Raven had shoved between pages when she read them.

The room was filled with red light, flashing violently to alert the five people down in that basement room to an ongoing crime, all of which who promptly ignored it. Several floors above them, the same light flashed in the training room and was accompanied by a wailing siren, which had been disabled on the floors below. Out of the Tower rushed nearly a dozen individuals, all from different countries and yet all united in their duty to protect Jump City while its permanent guardians were preoccupied. Jump City had, ironically, never been safer for its citizens. During a time of crisis for the team, their friends and allies quickly rose to the challenge of protecting the metropolis and had done so with a passion.

 *

Raven was treated to a great surprise when she returned to the clearing, as two of the nine small cabins were nearing their final stages and the others, including Holly and hers, were almost half way completed. Raven recognized a few of the villagers helping out too, after they had all repaired what damage that had been done to their own shops and homes. Of the villagers Raven quickly spotted a short girl no older than ten, who stood in between Holly and a farmer who was helping with the cabin. Rena, who was also the first to spot Raven gave her a small wave and tugged on the shirt of her father next to her, giving a gesture in Raven's direction.

"Dad, that's the woman that Holly was with last ni-" Rena was cut off by Holly's strong hand clamped over her mouth.

Her father gave a chuckle. "Sneaking around again, were you?"

"I was taking the grains to the diner! It wasn't my fault." Rena protested as she pulled away Holly's now slack hand.

"You need a new hobby. And remember, what's her business is not yours, okay?" Her father told her.

"Yea, yea." She replied as Raven approached, carrying four bowls of the stew that has been cooking. Three of the four ate in silence, and allowed Rena to talk about her morning school lesson. It was an hour past high noon when they finished eating and Rena ran off back to the village to return to her classes.

The rest of the afternoon was uneventful, as the Warriors and villagers alike worked to rebuild their island better than it was before. All nine small cabins were finished a couple hours before nightfall, along with a single, wide open building that would be used for training.

 *

“Being that we have some rare free time," Suki said to the Warriors, once the remaining villagers had all left, "I’m going to the hot springs, anybody else want to come?"

The general agreement among the warriors solidified the decision, and in a few minutes they had all returned to their newly completed homes to change into their proper attire.

Raven followed Holly into their cabin, so far nobody had raised any questions about them being in the same cabin, and Raven assumed it was because none of them expected her to be there for very long. As to how true that was Raven had her doubts, and a mixed opinion.

"If you'd like to go to the hot spring with them, you can borrow a swim suit from Akiko; she's about your size."

"Oh, are you not going?"

"Never have before, why would I this time?"

"Well why not?" Asked Raven, knowing it was a poor argument and expecting a poor excuse in return. "You've been working all day, just relax for a while."

"Maybe I don't like swimming."

"And maybe that's a crap excuse."

"Look, you've seen the scars I have. I've managed to keep those hidden from most of them, save for Ko and Suki, I'd like to keep it that way. Besides, they'll ask about the bandages too, that's even worse."

"So you're ashamed of them."

"So you assume things."

"It's not an assumption; my powers allow me to feel some of your emotions if they're strong enough."

"Maybe I just don't want their pity."

"And you're ashamed of it."

"And you're being an ass." Holly said, wanting the conversation to end.

"Yes, I am. But I know exactly where you're coming from. I hid my past for quite a long time, and I did so mostly out of shame."

"You're point?"

"You're ashamed of your scars, but many wouldn't be. Remember my teammate Starfire? She came from a warrior race; her race wears them as trophies, essentially saying that you were stronger than whoever tried to harm you."

"Can this conversation stop now?"

"Only if you go with us."

"Hmph, fine, and for the record, you're a persistent ass." Holly said again, but pondering the new way to look at the foul memories that were imprinted on her body. She got up and started for the door.

"I've been called worse, where are you going now?"

"To borrow a suit from Ko, the one I have is seven years old."

Raven smiled a bit as she watched her walk away. They were both broken souls, she concluded; but just maybe, together they could scrape together one half decent one. They had found each other by chance, but they remained together by choice.

 *

The eight Warriors and Raven fit into the hot spring with room to spare, and while Holly was nowhere to be seen, none of the Warriors seemed to be surprised by it. What did surprise them, however, was when she did walk up ten minutes later, wearing a robe over her suit.

Carefully lowering herself into the water while slowly raising the robe as to not allow any scars to be seen. Seven of the Warriors sat there shocked; while Ko, who had known beforehand, watched the others with mild amusement. Holly had never done many recreational things with the team to begin with, despite all of them being a very close knit group. Partly due to the fact that many say she has spent more time in prisons than on the island.

But for her to go swimming with them? It was simply unheard of, despite it being such a commonplace past time with the hot springs on Kyoshi.

Ko, who positioned herself next to Raven, slid over a foot or so to make room for Holly in between them. Raven waited until Holly had settled into the water, and then gave a small tug on the edge of the bandage that still remained wrapped around her arm. Raven's hand was swatted away the first and second time she tried to take it off, but on the third she met no physical resistance, and carefully unraveled the bandage without the others noticing; as the bandage was below the water and out of sight. A silence hung over the girls for a few minutes, until Suki started back up the usual, and in Raven's opinion, pointless, chatter that allowed the warriors to take their mind off the daily stresses of their job.

Holly pulled her hair back and tied it behind her, and proceeded to rest her head on Raven's shoulder; making it clear as to who the others should blame, or thank, for her showing up.

 *

"What's that?" Holly asked as she walked in, referring to the sheet of paper that Raven had borrowed earlier that day. Raven was sitting on her hammock and had just finished writing. They had left the hot spring nearly an hour ago and since then had moved up the few belongings of the two into the cabin.

"Just a journal." Raven responded, not knowing exactly why she decided to write one, but not seeing enough harm in stopping. Holly sat herself down next to Raven, putting more stress on the bolts that held in the hammock, but the walls were well built, despite being put together in a matter of hours.

Holly looked at the paper over Raven's shoulder and started reading it silently to herself. "What's that word?" She asked pointing to a line a third the way down the paper. "Antiquated." She said as she folded the sheet of paper without letting Holly finish reading it.

"Hey!" Holly cried in protest.

"It was private."

"Then why did you let me read it in the first place?"

"I…didn't think that you could. We speak the same language but it's written very differently here."

"Yea, it surprised me too."

"Really?"

"Sure. When I was young my mother taught me how to read and write like that. She always said it was an ancient language, and not to use it outside of our home. I've never really seen it since those days –now that I think about it."

"That's…interesting. So why did Suki want you?" Raven asked, changing the topic. _I'll have to ask Wisdom about this later._

"Well, I'll be leaving for a bit. There's an annual dance going on in the Fire Nation, several admirals will be there. I'm to go and, ah, 'find' some information about the rumors of an attack on our island." She quietly said.

"That's ridiculous, didn't you just get back here? She can't make you leave again-"

"She asked me, she did not make me. Besides, it would only make sense for me to go. Namely because I don't look like I'm from any particular nation, if any of the others went, they would be stopped before they enter the city. And more importantly, if I go, nobody else had to."

"You're persistent." Raven said, using Holly's words from before.

"I know."

"When do you leave?"

"Midday tomorrow."

"Fine." Raven said resignedly as her beloved got up and slumped down into her own hammock on the opposite wall, falling into a deep sleep within seconds.

 *

"Why the hell does she have to leave? Azar knows how long she could be gone!" Love exclaimed to Rude, who happened to have the misfortune of being in the same area as her.

"Then get off your ass and do something about it."

"I mean how could she even do this?! How could Suki do this?" Love had started pacing in front of Rude, ignoring her comment

"Why are we having this conversation?"

"I swear, if she gets herself killed or something…" Rude picked up a pebble and gave it a hard throw at the purple Raven

"What?" Love demanded, mad at being interrupted.

"This island is not your home. Right now, your home is where she is. So go with her and get away from me. Now."

Love grinned and complied with Rude's demand, satisfied with the new option.

 *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> R&R!  
> If you're reading this, then most of you probably have an opinion of how it might end, what "should" happen next, or what you think would be interesting to see happen. So send a PM or drop a review! I'm always looking for new ideas, and I will probably work it into the story if I like it / think I can.
> 
> Couple things: first I think Raven may be getting too out of character – not quite sure yet – that, and I'd like to ask how you guys picture the OC(s). Curious about that second one because I know that some people (i.e. me) have a (terrible) habit of either skimming past descriptions or to forget them and form an image in my own head of what the person or area looks like. And more often than not, we use a “default” image of the person, and maybe work in a few of the details that have been mentioned onto that “default”. That idea, that every reader’s image of a character could be different, is personally one of the most interesting things to me about reading and writing.


	8. Prison Bound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First entire scene is a flashback. R&R!

The prison guard towered above the figure lying on the floor beneath him. He had spent the last several hours "questioning" the prisoner, and, beyond the point of frustration, he decided to punish her for her defiance to him and his beloved nation.

 _Doesn't this swine understand the importance of this?_ He thought as he rolled her onto her back with his foot and planted it on her ribcage.

 _I could be home by now if she would just give up and cooperate._  He swung his foot behind him, and brought it back down with force.

 _And worst of all, how can she just laugh at me? What a pitiful creature to allow herself to pass the brink of sanity, and let her body be turned to a pulp as she laughs at my attempts to produce answers. She laughs at us, the mighty Fire Nation, whose superiority has been proven for the past century. How dare_ _she defy us over, and over again!_

The guard's foot made contact with its target, and the audible crack of a rib reverberated in the dark, bare metal room that was the temporary home of the prisoner. Holly gasped for air as she lay shackled on the ground. Breathing had become a task in itself, the shackles had cut deep into her wrists and they had not given her water in days. Today, she figured, would be no different.

The guard raised his foot again, intent on releasing his anger on another of the bound prisoner's bones, when the solid metal door slide open on well-oiled hinges just before he let his foot sink into the prisoner's body.

"What do you think you're doing?" Demanded Mai, as she stepped into the small cell. She had been there on her uncle's behalf, inspecting the new prison for any flaws in security. _At least it beat being back home,_ Mai figured.

"Interrogation, Mi’lady. The prisoner holds vital information." He stated, snapping to attention and stepping back to the wall of the cell as he did so.

"Beating a prisoner to the point where even if she wanted to speak she could not, is that interrogation here?" Mai said with venom seeping out as she spoke, despite never once changing her tone.

"You're relieved." She continued after a brief silence. She looked back at the prisoner. Holly had sat herself back up against the wall, despite the amount of pain it had caused, and eyed the newcomer suspiciously.

Mai followed the guard out and did not return until the prisoner's meals were served to their cells a long hour later. It was a great surprise to Holly to see the water cup on her tray again, along with a slightly larger portion of food and the newcomer from before delivering it. She had to restrain herself from lunging for the food in fear of it being taken away, as if this was all some sort of sick joke. Mai sat down across from the prisoner and placed the food tray down between them.

"I came here earlier to clear up a small issue with your documents." Mai said. "But it's been solved already. I am, however, curious why you were being beaten." Of course, Mai was not unaware of the brutality of the guards here, and at most other prisons in the Fire Nation. It would also be foolish to say that Mai despised the guards who performed it, as Mai knew that while it was excessive, it often produced results. _Disapproved_ , she figured, _would be more accurate._

Holly looked up from the food that she was so focused on. "I answered a question wrong." She answered, seeing that the newcomer did not come to harm her.

"Go on."

"Not much to explain, he asked me how the weather was down on the floor. I spat on him and told him it was raining."

"You knew that he would beat you for that."

"It’d be boring otherwise."

"So you let him wreck your body just to not get bored?" Mai eyed the swollen face of the prisoner.

"No, of course not. You see, this isn't my body. If I thought it was I don't think I would have ever been able to step into battle or let myself become captured. This body belongs to my comrades, who protect it when I cannot; and to those I love, who give it meaning. And it belongs to my city, which provides all I need and demands no less in return."

Mai shook her head at the explanation and watched the prisoner scarf down the rest of the food, barely chewing before biting off more of the stale bread that was her meal.

Mai left immediately after with the tray in hand, knowing that she would never forget that prisoner.

 

*

 

Holly stood on the dock watching the small sloop come closer to the island. Rena's father, who had also been a fatherly figure to Holly for many years, came down from his home on the mountain to bid her farewell.

"Know how long you'll be gone this time?" He said, his large body dwarfing that of Holly.

"Nope." They stood side by side watching the sloop sail closer.

"Does Rena know?"

"Didn't have the heart to tell her." Her shoulders slumped and she looked away from him, refusing to meet his gaze.

The two turned as footsteps echoed on the worn wooden dock behind them.

"I thought you were still sleeping." Holly said to the approaching woman.

"Sleep and stay here? Not a chance." Raven responded as Holly visibly frowned.

"Does Suki know about-"

"I don't answer to her." Holly rolled her eyes, peeved by her partner's stubbornness. A deep laugh came from Rena's father.

"If you're both going, then I have to report to two people now." He said as he ruffled Holly's hair, taking advantage of her annoyed state.

"Hey, c'mon now." She pulled away from his reach.

"But seriously, be safe you two." He said as sloop pulled up to the dock. "And don't come back with any new holes in you."

He gave a small wave as Holly walked up the gangway that the ship's crew dropped.

"Hey," He pulled Raven back before she too walked onto the sloop. "I figure you're the witch that I keep hearing about." Raven cringed inside at the words. _Of course that's how they would see me. As a witch and nothing more._

"Look out for her out there. I know she can take care of herself well enough, but don't let her do anything reckless."

Raven nodded at the man as he looked her in the eye. He let go of her shoulder and waved again as Raven walked onto the ship and its sails were drawn to full mast and pulled the ship away from the small island.

He stood on the dock watching as the ship shrunk in size as it grew further and further away. He eventually turned and started back to the village, not looking forward to telling either of the two woman in the village about who had just departed from their island.


	9. The Burden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any ideas, questions or suggestions feel free to review or PM me. (Hey, part of that rhymed!)

If you have any ideas, questions or suggestions feel free to review or PM me. (part of that rhymed!)

 *

"What about that one?" Holly said as she pointed to a gown that was hanging on one of the several clotheslines before them. They were sitting on the edge of the yard of a noble's manor, a brisk breeze swept over the rows of clothes before them, drying them in the crisp air. It had not started snowing like it was on Kyoshi, nor was Holly sure it ever did in this area.

"It's bright red."

"So?"

"I'm not wearing something bright red."

"You're not going to get a lot of options then." Holly said as she leaned on a split rail fence that surrounded the field. It was the morning of the third day of their mission, having taken a small detour the day before and delaying their travels. They were on the outskirts of a city that was not far from the Earth Kingdom, but still in the Fire Nation Territories. According to a few of the kids in the street the ball they were supposed to be attending, set to take place that night, was in celebration of a new shipyard and naval base that was to be built in the recently conquered port.

"Hey, what do you think about that one?" Raven asked, pointing to another dress that further down on the line than the others.

"It looks like it would fit you. Keep looking for mine." Holly said as she got off the fence and walked over to take down the dress.

"Are you sure you're okay with this? Stealing these, I mean." Raven asked when she came back.

"There's a war going on. Call this weakening the enemy's economy, not stealing. Besides, these are pocket change for the people living here."

"Fine, but never mention this to Robin."

 *

"So who did we need to look for?" Raven asked as they waited to enter the building. It was nearing dusk as they stood outside in the slow moving line.

"A Commander."

"You don't know which one do you?"

She flashed a guilty smile at Raven.

Raven rolled her eyes and stepped towards the entrance.

Holly produced two invitations she had lifted off of the man behind them in line, and presented them to doorman. Moments later they were standing in the midst of the scores of people: those dancing to the live music in the center of the congregation, the small groups catching up with news among their peers and the many butlers, skirting between people with ease while balancing thin stemmed glasses on wooden trays, held high above their heads.

"I think we should question him first." Holly said, nodding her head to her left.

"That's the buffet table."

"Well it could still know something, right?"

"I thought you were supposed to be a 'fierce warrior'" Raven whispered as she watched her companion take one of everything off of the table and consume it just as fast.

"Can't do anything on an empty stomach, besides, good food is a rare commodity in most places."

Raven looked over the crowd: A heavy set man with graying hair and a burgundy sash socializing with a woman far younger than he, a bored teenager in black robes leaning against the wall, another man no older than forty with his chest decorated in an obscene amount of medals.

"Hey," Raven pulled Holly away from the table. "You'll get yourself sick, and what about him?" She gestured toward the man with the medals on his chest.

"Hmm, if he is the one, he's certainly an arrogant. Hold on for a minute." Holly stated before she took off. Edging her way through the mass of people, and making her way towards the man. A moment after introductions, Raven watched from across the room as Holly gave her an apologetic look, and took his hand for the next dance. _Love is sure to be jealous, maybe Wisdom will talk to her before I have the chance to._

"Lost your date?" Came a voice from behind her. It was the teenager that she had seen before, probably no older than she was.

"Such a dull party…” The woman continued.

"I've seen worse." Raven responded half-heartedly.

"Of course. I'm Mai by the way."

"Raven."

"And who's your partner?"

"Mai!" An older man was waving at them. "I'd like to introduce you to somebody."

"Excuse me." Mai said to her, clearly irritated at the interruption. She disappeared into the light crowd a moment later.

Raven look across the building to see Holly with a receded look about her, she was there in person, but her mind was miles away. A pounding headache had told her that Love did not approve of the situation. The song had ended a few minutes later and those dancing dispersed themselves, as the musicians were due for a small break from playing. Holly had managed to edge the Commander and herself closer to a small door as they had danced.

"It has been a pleasure thus far, my dear." Raven's stomach churned as she focused to hear his words.

"Yes, but perhaps you could spare another brief moment of your time and accompany me outside, you see, I dislike crowds and it's starting to get to me." Holly replied, not necessarily lying. She was speaking as a noble would, refined and thoughtful before speaking. It was something that also impressed Raven as she heard it when approaching them. Hiroko, her old teacher, had taught her how to do this just before she let Holly fill her place on the team. It was a skill that, she had believed, would serve her well.

"I would like you to meet a neighbor of mine." The Commander said as they walked outside. "She is here tonight, but she often shuns the balls that are held every so often. Although her parents don't know that! With some luck I will be able to introduce you before the night is over."

Suddenly, surprising even Holly, an obsidian band wrapped around his mouth and he was forced down to a kneeling position as Raven pushed down on the gag.

"Some warning next time might be nice." Holly said, slipping out of her honeyed voice and returning back to normal.

"Then don't take so long. And I hardly think there will be a next time."

"Alright, take him over there before somebody sees." She said, gesturing towards a small shed used by the groundkeepers. With a movement of her wrist, Raven forced the gag, along with the man attached to it, up and forward towards the shed. Inside, she sat him down on a stool as her partner in crime grabbed some wire off of a self and fastened him down. When Raven released her powers a rag was quickly shoved into his mouth.

"Come to think of it, when you meet Robin you shouldn't mention abduction either."

"Then you won't like what happens next." She said looking down upon the prisoner, who met her gaze trying to figure out who she really was.

"Look," Holly continued, speaking to the Commander. "There's a village that I'm proud to call my home. Now I know it isn't much of a place, but it's all I've got; and that should concern you, because the only thing I have to lose right now, I never deserved in the first place. And that little village means far more to me than you do. Understand?" He nodded. "Good. Now recently we've been getting visits from passing warships, we don't quite appreciate those, but that's aside from the point. Rumors say that there will be another coming up soon; one larger than any from the past." The man looked in disgust at Holly, recognizing her accent and seeing the fans tucked into her belt. Not the expensive ones that most women he knew had, but ones that were beat to hell and looked like they could take much more. The tools of a person of much lower class than he.

"You don't have to hurt him you know, to get information." Raven said as she watched the man. "Just scare him enough."

Holly stood up, her back to Raven and her head hung low in shame of an act that she did not commit yet. "I'd like it if you could step out and, ah, keep watch for us."

Raven protested, but was promptly ignored. She sat on the sidelines as she listened to her companion demand answers from the Commander. _He knows at least something._ Raven thought as she saw Holly kick the stool in frustration, causing it and its occupant to fall onto the ground. _How stubborn can a man be with information that is of no consequence to him if he reveals it?_ Holly hoisted him back in an upright position. _But most of all, how far will she go?_ Raven asked herself.

Raven had no doubt to her companion’s loyalty to her home - that much was clear. But how far can a person keep their wits about them when all they are met with is resistance? For the short time she had come to know Holly she came to acknowledge, if not admire, several things about her. Patience wasn't on that list. It had not been more than ten minutes, and probably closer to half that in reality. Holly had already lost patience with this man - this man who was uncomfortably protective of a secret that had no effect on him. If he were to divulge the information, there would be no evidence that it was he who told his enemy, there would be no repercussions as he would just walk back to party, and continue on with his life. In fact the only major outcome could be measured in the lives that would be saved of the villagers and warriors alike. If the raids failed he would only retreat back to his manor is the Fire Nation territories to spend his days planning another attack on another piece of land in another corner of the world. And yet here he was, tight lipped in defiance for unfathomable reasons.

Raven came out of her thoughts as she saw the man be hoisted back off the floor for a third or fourth time.

"Raven, please leave us." She said to her, her voice quivering as she stared at her prisoner.

"I would rather not." _I see what Rena's father had meant by "reckless"._ She realized.

"I'm sorry, but I wasn't asking."

Raven raised an eyebrow at this, but did not move.

"I beg you," Holly said, walking to her in a stride or two. "To try to understand." A pained look was on her face as she rested her forehead on Raven's shoulder, she spoke in a hoarse whisper. She guided Raven out and closed the door behind her; looking away out of shame.

 *

Raven stood outside, the lights of the ball filtering through a few of the barer trees. There was nobody else out at the time and a light rain was beginning to fall. Not enough to be troublesome, but the large drops sounded heavily off the thin metal roof of the shed.

 *

"You can still answer me, when is the next raid?" He stared at her. What was once the object of his fascination less than a quarter of an hour ago now was circling him as wolf does to her prey. She stuffed a rag from the floor into his mouth again and with a swift elbow broke his nose. She turned and smashed a nearby window, plucked out a shard of glass from the frame, and dragged it across his chest; wreaking havoc to his suit and skin alike. "Think," She said into his ear. "Of what you would do to protect your country, or your family. Then you'll see how few limits I have right now."

She pushed the shard deeper into him.

This was not the prideful warrior from Kyoshi that stood before her prisoner. This was not the woman who would watch over Rena every harvest season while her father worked on the fields. That person was virtuous and caring. That person was carefree when surrounded by her family; by the mountains and shores that, even if only for a short time, allowed her to forget about those numbers on her arm and the scars on her body.

That person was still on her island, dormant in the hearts of her peers.

This was the person who was deprived of food and kept in the dark as she was bounced from prison to prison for days, or weeks at a time before escaping. This was the person who had awoken to the tortured cries of her mentor as she slept in the adjacent cell, while Hiroko bore the punishment in place of her.

"We must carry these burdens so others do not have to; so that they are not plagued by the memories and so they can carry on when we cannot."

That is what Hiroko had taught her, and the words that she often lived by. She would accept the suffering that came with her decisions, she had to. Or else it would blacken the hearts of her friends at times like these instead of her own. And that was something she could not handle. That is why she asked Hiroko to harden her against the pain, as her own master had done to her when she was being trained.

The blood of the Commander trail down his chest and stained what remained of his undershirt, covering up the shattered bones of his limp and crushed hand in a deep cloak of crimson.

 *

Love was curled in a fetal position as she heard the groans of the Commander echo in the large chamber. Happy was trying to comfort her, but doing a poor job at it. Timid stood in the center of the large floor, unmoving. Wisdom had retreated into her own domain and Rude, or the first time in her life, was speechless.

Courage was nowhere to be found.

 *

Holly leaned against her closed fan, close to seven inches in length, with the pointed and sharpened  tip pressing on his leg. "Are you going to tell me?" She looked at him, his eyes answering for him already. She leaned onto the fan with more of her weight, the man grinded his teeth as it broke skin. "I'm waiting." No response. She shoved the rag back in place and pushed the fan down an inch, electing a grunt from him as he strained against the bonds. "By now some ought to have noticed your absence, and I can't leave here without answers. Understand?" He tried to lash out at her, but only rocked the stool back and nearly tipped it over. "Fine, let's speed this up." She put her weight on the bronze shaft and let it tear deep into his thigh.

 *

Love vomited as she heard the tortured, animalistic scream sound through the chamber - not loud enough to be heard from the house or by the party goers - but still brimming with pain as in reverberated in her ears.

 *

Raven pushed open the door, not wanting this to continue, as Holly crashed into her on her way out - her movements frantic, eyes wide and her heart racing as she blurted out an indistinguishable sentence. The door swung shut blocking out the cries of anguish from the man still occupying the shed. "Slow down." Raven said as she gently pried Holly off her and pushed her against the wooden wall. "Now. We have to leave now. Can you…Oh spirits no, it's probably too late…"

"Too late for what?" Raven said sternly.

"The raid." She said, slowly regaining her composure. "It was tonight."

 *

Mai had finally been able to peel herself away from her father and his coworkers after a lengthy conversation that, in her own opinion, had no effect on anybody or anything. She sighed and stepped outside to get away from the conversations that were only filler in between their glasses of wine. She had not seen the women wearing the stolen dresses. Of course they were of no concern to her, if somebody needed them badly enough to steal them then so be it. It wasn't like she would have gone out of her way to stop them, not when they would be replaced within a week. But Raven's friend, she knew that face but could not place it; and she knew it would gnaw at her mind when there was nothing else to distract her from it.

Mai perked up at the sound of a choked sob from down the path which led to the gardens. It was a path that she knew well, as the hosts of the party were very proud of their gardens, and enjoyed showing them off to as many as they could.

She rounded the corner and froze in her place; before her stood a wall of black, more solid than brick and yet perfectly clear. A claw stretched out from the wall and grasped her, squeezing tight before she could react. Behind it stood the woman Mai had spoken to earlier - or at least what used to be her. Raven's eyes glowed a violent red and her arms were encased in increasing amounts of energy. The very image of the dark spirits from the stories that Mai, and nearly every other child in this world, had grown up on. Mai squirmed against the claw, scolding herself for being caught without her knives, despite that nobody could have ever expected this.

 *

Love looked up to see Rage's back in front of her. She was not attacking her as Love would've expected, as she was sure Rage wasn't thrilled about being used a few days previous. Instead she stood over her as a bear would protect her cubs. But why? She wasn't being threatened or betrayed, not that she thought Rage would've cared. She would never agree to the actions which Holly had taken, she had felt helpless, perhaps, or even shocked. But not once betrayed.

So why had Rage lashed out against the newcomer, who could not have harmed Raven in the least?

Wisdom stood from afar with a morbid interest in it all.

 *

Mai had had her doubts as to who exactly Raven and her friend were. She swore she knew the other woman from somewhere, but could not think of where they had met before. But now it was different, Mai looked closely at the girl behind the evil spirit, and a moment later she met Mai's stare. They recognized each other instantly.

"Release her." Holly commanded, pulling at Raven's shoulder despite her state.

Holly stepped out from behind Raven when the wall fell, clasped her hands and gave a slight bow.

Raven quickly formed a disk below them and took to the sky, not wanting to stay any longer.

 *

Mai turned and rushed to the shed, where she had heard the cries of the man bound inside. Within minutes she allowed he men at the ball to take over and lead her back inside. The police arrived within ten minutes along with a corpsman who was currently on leave from his unit, and despite a days' worth of questioning, the man refused to speak to anybody except the Fire Lord's top Admiral, who was preoccupied at the time being.

 *

"Do you mind me asking something?" Raven inquired shortly after they had flew past the shoreline and were out above the open ocean. Holly periodically telling her to turn left or right a few degrees as she gazed at the stars.

"Anything, I'll never stop you."

"Then who was that?" Raven asked, as it had disturbed her how readily Holly had exposed herself. She was also bothered by how easily she had followed Holly's command, trusting her partner’s decision over precaution. Although she procrastinated pressing that matter with Wisdom.

Holly gave a faint smile. "An acquaintance, or maybe even a friend."

 *

**Flashback:**

Mai stood on the stone bridge, which had been erected by some earth benders when they were retreating back into the mountains. On her left stood her uncle and two of his trusted subordinates and across from them, a dozen paces away, stood five captains from the Earth Kingdom Army. The captains surrounded three men, stripped down to their shorts and undershirts in the blazing heat, and bound by shackles on their wrists.

"I don't like this." Mai's uncle said, indicating the three prisoners on the other side of the bridge. "I've never once seen a prisoner of ours, who isn't even in their military, be exchanged for three of our men."

Mai nodded. She and Holly had spent several nights talking over the past two weeks, as she was the only prisoner who did not spit at her, or holler obscenities as she passed. She knew her uncle would not approve of this, and thus kept them secret after her first encounter when she brought food and, against orders, water, to the prisoner. Holly had gained some of her respect, if anything, over the past weeks – for she was the most human person at the prison. She had seen the very worst side of the Fire Nation, and yet she proved to understand why it was happening and not be clouded by hatred as so many others were. Well, at least not _as_ clouded.

Her uncle gave her the go ahead sign, despite not liking the situation – or his niece's presence there, which she insisted on multiple times.

Mai gasped the handles of a well-worn wheel chair and proceeded forward, watching the other three prisoners stumble towards them. In the chair Holly leaned forward, trying not to let the bandages around her back touch the back of the chair. They were from a lashing she had received a few days before, and she did not expect to walk for several more days, although it could have been far worse if not for Mai's intervention. She had made the past weeks at least bearable, and as Holly feared, much to her own expense. While she was grateful for her actions, it had changed nothing in the grand scheme, and both of them knew that. Their nations were still at war and Holly still lived for the sake of her fellow warriors at that time. And while it had been a somewhat enlightening experience for them, they would still go back to their respective posts in a couple days' time. Be it on an estate complying with her father's wishes or sleeping on a hammock among her sisters, for whom she lived and breathed for.

The Earth Kingdom captains looked down in disgust at the wheelchair bound captive as Mai let them take the handles from her.

 _Who was this useless girl, not even strong enough to stand on her own feet_? Holly knew they would be thinking as they watched their prize captives slip out of their grasp. _And why had King Bumi demanded her release? Had that man finally gone off the deep end?_

They reluctantly turned away and rolled her along the dirt path, making no attempt to avoid the rocks for this girl who wasn't even a soldier. Yet Holly paid no mind. It had been the first time she didn't have to escape, and now she was safely on her way back home.

 *

Cyborg grinned and stretched his fingers, which had been stiff from many hours of welding and cutting, wiring and programming that he had done. He looked down at the silver cube with affection, no longer than a foot long on any side. He ran his finger over the seamless slot that was shaped to hold a communicator with immense pride, topped only by when he finished the T-car so long ago. This was the machine that the Professor had scrawled out every design for in less than two hours, and had only trusted Cyborg's expertise in completing. This was the machine that could take the Titan's communicators and project their signal to any nearby dimensions; and with a stroke of luck, perhaps to the one that Raven had fallen into.

Cyborg stood straight up, still grinning in accomplishment, and plugged himself into the tower's mainframe. He briefly checked the tower's security systems and then, for the first time in nearly two days, fell asleep for more than an hour.

 *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> Curious if anybody is having issues keeping the OCs straight, as there are a few more than I normally like. Ironic, as I also have a disliking to OC's, probably because the first stories I read with them they all were (kind of) shallow characters. Either way, I've been trying to read more with them and not assume things before I've read the story… not that it really matters, but… so yea, R&R!


	10. Connect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked it or have any suggestions about my writing or the plot etc. drop a review or leave a pm. There's a few ways the plot could go right now and i haven't completely decided yet...so any input is helpful!! I often wonder who actually reads these author notes, I know I can sometimes skip over them if they’re too long  
> Regardless, enjoy! (or don't, i can't stop you)

*

Raven landed on the shore of the main bay as the sun rose across the bay; its light tainted by the columns of smoke rising from village below. The fires that caused this were so many, that when approaching the island Raven had mistaken it for the sun rising. Suki met them on the beach with few words being passed at first.

When they came to a fork in the path Suki halted, turned, and faced Holly dreading the news she carried.

"Holly, in the fight many villagers fought alongside us. And while we tried to minimize the losses, several of them gave their lives for their families and the rest of us."

"Please get to your point." Raven whispered to her. She had seen the amount of torture that Holly had put herself through, running through the worst case scenarios without rest, did not want to see it drawn out any longer.

"Rena's father took a spear trying to get some of the women and children to safety. We already buried him." Holly broke down inside, but gave little indication of it. The only way Raven could tell was by the surge of emotions she felt, so strong that, even if she wanted to, she did not think she could block or suppress it.

"Where?" She choked out.

"In the graveyard for the former Warriors, next to Hiroko's plot and yours. We thought it was fitting." She said, referring to the grave yard that was designated only to those who had dedicated their lives to Kyoshi Island. Rena's father was a good man, and all of the Warriors held him in highest respect. It was his role to Holly though, that of a father, that was irreplaceable. Raven moved to follow Holly when she took off at a sprint on the path winding up the mountain, but she was stopped by Suki's grip on her shoulder, which she doubted could be removed without her powers.

"Leave her be for today, she needs the solitude right now. Why don't you help us clear some of the rubble though, your powers would be useful." Raven nodded and followed Suki down the other path, wanting to be with her companion but knowing that she could do little to help her right now.

 *

It was nearing noon as Raven was sweating profusely in the day's heat as she helped clear out buildings that were in ruins, or those too unstable to leave standing. They had only once, as far as Raven knew, come across a corpse. Burnt and with several arrows protruding from it, two of the Warriors covered it and carried it off to be buried alongside the other heroes of this island. It was Akiko's mentor, who ran a small repair shop on the other side of the island. Akiko still maintained a close relationship with her once she stepped down from her position as a warrior. Suki had explained when she covered it with a white sheet. It had explained her absence, which Raven didn't think wise to ask about before. She must've been mourning in the graveyard that Holly and Rena were at.

They worked through lunch, eating a few bites of food from the children that brought it from the elders, who had set a handful of fires cooked while everybody else worked to rebuild it as quickly as possible. Rebuilding the villages quickly was a habit instilled by Avatar Kyoshi herself, as she had thought that it showed perseverance, and how despite any foe's attempts, Kyoshi would still live on. But to many outsiders, it was thought to be for more obvious reasons: A market in ashes cannot help fill a man's wallet; therefore, it must be rebuilt with haste so that trade can continue.

The raid had hit them hard that day, more so than any other to date according to Suki. And yet jokes were being cracked left and right between the Warriors and villagers alike. Granted, they were the most gruesome jokes that made even Raven's stomach churn at times. But at the very least it was a way for them to cope with the destruction of their home and loss of friends.

"Raven!" Suki called out as she jogged over to her. "Ko needs some help on the south side of the island, mind joining me?"

"Sure." She said as they walked together in silence for a few minutes.

"You know," Suki started, "We're all real glad you're here." She thought a moment. "Or more specifically, that you're with Holly."

"Oh?"

"Yea, she's the happiest I've ever seen her." She hesitated again, finding the right words. "As you probably know she's put her body through a lot." Raven nodded remembering the scars, along with the couple stories or tidbits that she had picked up on. "When somebody is subjected to that, and does so willingly more than once, it's a common belief that a part of that person dies, just a little bit each time. It's similar to when we step into battle; we leave a part of our hearts behind us in order to fight, the part that loves and cares. We leave behind what separates us from a machine made for killing or abuse."

"What are you getting at?"

"She's left that part of herself behind so many times that I don't think anybody, save for maybe Rena, has ever really seen it. I've often feared for her health. Not in any physical sense, as she can handle that better than any of us; but mentally, the world she sees is very different from ours. To her it's filled with inevitable pain, while we see ideals or potential, joy, or even love." Raven gave her an odd glance at the last word. They were nearing the end of the path and not far beyond that Ko was working with the villagers to put up a wall of a house.

"The point is," Suki continued on, "that since you've came, that part of her has been more prevalent than ever before – when not long ago I was doubting it was still there. And every one of us is grateful for that."

"You think that I've had that much of an effect?"

"We know you have." They walked a few steps toward the scene in front of them: the villagers holding a prefabricated wall into place around the frame of a small, two room building as several others drove in long nails, each with one or two strikes of their hammer.

"You've had so much of an impact on her," Suki continued again as they were walking, "that I have to make this clear. If you ever, even once, harm or betray her trust – it would ruin her. So much that she would never recover.” Suki paused, “and we would ruin you for it, or die trying."

Raven nodded at this. It was preposterous to think that she would do anything to hurt her, the person who has had as much of an impact on herself as Suki claims that she did on her. In fact, the only thing that did surprise Raven about the last statement was that it didn't come sooner. She saw the sisterhood that had formed between these people and never once doubted their loyalty to each other.

 *

By the time the sun dipped down below the mountains the temporary shelters for the merchants had been erected, but few were needed as people took in their neighbors and strangers alike until their homes were to full capacity, and then some. Akiko had returned from her mourning and began managing the large kettles of soup that the Warriors manned with the help of villagers. Raven had realized in that short time the role of the Warriors, not only as protectors of the island, but as relief to its occupants and hope to its citizens.

Several hours later Raven returned to her cabin, tired from the day's work and without more than a few hours' sleep since the ball. She brushed by a spear that had been embedded in the cabin's wall and broken off to no more than a few inches in length. _If only we had been here, this would've never had happened. I could've just scared them into laying down their arms, it wouldn't have been hard to do in a world like this; one that believes in spirits, and facing against soldiers who hold no concern for the land they fought on. Unlike if they were defending their home, surrendering meant little to them here. If only we had been here, if only…_

Raven’s thoughts were interrupted by a familiar electronic tone just before she entered the cabin. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw her communicator flashing at her hip. She snatched it off and answered it so fast it almost broke the clip on the back.

"Raven? Raven!" She heard four simultaneous voices as she rubbed as much dirt off the screen as she could.

"It's good to see you guys."

"Just glad you're alright." Robin said with great relief, his greatest fears for the past weeks were gone now.

"Same to you all. How'd you get the communicator's to work?" She asked the four excited faces crowded on the screen.

"Well, the Professor is working with us now. He actually made the machine to try to get his wife and daughter back, and helped Cy fix these to work for this."

"Yo Raven, when was the last time you slept girl?" Cyborg cut in, seeing the rings around his friend's eyes and her bone tired state.

"Umm, thirty something hours; I've been helping my, ah, a friend."

"A friend? Are you sure that's wise?" Robin said, suspicious about this world he knows nothing about, and the fact that Raven made a friend in a relatively short time.

"I'm fine Robin, anything new in the city?"

"Nah Rae, we got some of the other Titans to fill in for us for a while."

"Beast Boy, just because I've been gone doesn't mean you can call me that now." Robin and the rest of them grinned, seeing that their team mate was herself despite the recent events.

"Friend Raven, are you wearing a dress?" Starfire asked as Raven looked down to see that yes, she had been wearing the dress since the ball nearly a full day ago.

"Hmm? Oh, yes, that's a long story though. So you said the Professor was working with you?" She said, changing the subject.

"Yea, he was trying to get his wife back, Renee Hanley, she fell through a –"

"Renee?"

"Yes, is that familiar?"

"There's a child here named Rena, it stood out to me from the other names here, which are mostly Asian sounding."

"How old?"

"Six or seven, acts older though, she was forced to grow up too fast." Raven said, thinking of what would happen to her now, being that she had never heard about her mother, making her doubt if she had one.

"Okay, never mind then. The daughter should be close to our age by now."

"Do you have her name?"

"No, she was unborn at the time."

"Oh." Raven said, continuing on for another fifteen minutes, being filled in on the Professor and enjoying other small talk with her teammates.

After she closed back up the communicator she walked inside, and saw Holly and Rena in the center of the floor, sleeping with a couple blankets over them, but mostly wrapped around Rena. It had answered Raven's question about Rena, there must not have been a mother and thus Holly would be taking care of her for the time being. _She was in good hands,_ Raven knew, but would it interfere with her being a Warrior? _No_. Raven decided right then and there. _As I can always help out if needed._

Raven lowered herself down on the floor and took her place next to Rena, opposite Holly; too exhausted to even change out of her dress, which was now fraying at the bottom and caked in dirt and sweat. She folded her arms and rested her head on them, and looking at her beloved, she felt a ting of pain when she saw the stains on her face from tears. The loss of Rena's father had caused her great pain; and what was her pain, Raven decided, she would now share. And what was her burden she would help carry.

"I gave our hammocks to some of the merchants who are sleeping outside tonight. Hope you don't mind." Holly slurred sleepily.

"Not at all."

"Thank you." Holly said before leaning over and giving her a brief kiss. She broke it off and kissed Rena on the forehead, as a sister would do to her younger sibling, before drifting back to sleep.

 *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's come to my attention that the whole torture scene last chapter might have been a touch harsh. Either way, I thought it was worth keeping in there.


	11. Strange Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep in mind that the large bay on Kyoshi faces east - at least for this story – and that I absolutely hated writhing this chapter, partly because there really isn't anything useful to the plot except for the last scene. So I figured I'd fill it with something that could help with characterization instead of just pointless crap (jk, most of it’s pointless crap anyway).  
> So I don't own TT or A:TLA, surprise surprise! What, aren't you surprised? I know I am, I could've sworn that I was entitled to them.

*

Raven shot upright in a cold sweat, feeling lightheaded as she sat up too fast. She looked down at Holly and Rena, both of which were still asleep beside her, and calmed herself as much she could with the sight of them peacefully sleeping, despite them both losing somebody so important to them. After a few minutes she shuddered again, not being able to rid her thoughts of the nightmare she just woke up from. _Or would memory be more accurate?_

She got up and tucked her part of the blanket that they all shared under Rena. Realizing she was still in grimy dress, she pulled a kimono off the wall without thinking much about it and, after quickly changing, wandered out of the cabin pondering the dream, as her feet led her to nowhere in particular.

 *

A younger Raven stood on the bank of a river of lava, unable to move, with shock and fear etched onto her face. A man, with his lower half submerged in the molten rock, tried to drag his way onto the river bank; clawing in vain at the sharp rocks and tearing his fingers apart as he did so. His cries of agony pierced through the air, his mouth frozen in a disembodied scream. It echoed in Raven's head, and yet she stood there, paralyzed by an unwanted force. _It isn't real_ she tried to tell herself. _Just another one of those damned visions of his._ She shouted in her head, cursing her father and the visions that he tortured her sleep with. The man pulled himself forward a few inches, out of the fiery river just enough for Raven to see that his lower half was no longer with him. His bloodied hand grasped at her small ankle and pulled her in. _I had defeated that monster already, so why must he torture me again with these windows into hell?_

 _But those visions had stopped years ago, even before I met the Titans_. She thought to herself as she sat down on the frozen but dry earth, on the same hill that she and Holly had sat on almost a week ago. _Could they have returned because of what had happened at the ball reminded me of it? But that means they were my memories, and not visions sent by…him_. e refused to say his name, or even think of it - as if acknowledging his very existence would give him more power.

"How's my kimono fit?"

Raven jumped a bit, being caught off guard again while she was lost in her thoughts. "Oh, sorry, didn't look whose it was." _How long have I been up here already? A half hour? An hour? The sun has already risen across the bay…_

"It's fine, keep it. I'll get a spare from Suki later." Raven looked at her as Holly walked towards where she sat. She too had gotten rid of the grimy dress and was now in her undergarments, although they still covered much of her lithe body.

"C'mon, I don't want Rena waking up with nobody there." Holly said, pulling Raven up to her feet.

"How are you holding up?"

"Death is something that we've all felt here as warriors, you learn to come to terms with it after your day of mourning." She thought for a moment. "Although I always figured that I would die before anyone I really cared about did." Her face fell. "Guess this proves me wrong."

Raven gave a nod as Holly pulled closer to her, trying to get out of the brisk and freezing wind that was common for Kyoshi's winters. She used the tightly woven silk that fell in excess from the kimono as a wind breaker, huddling closer to the large kimono Raven now wore, which wasn't restricted by the leather armor that it was normally fitted with.

"I've also been thinking," Holly continued. "That because I'll be training most of the day and the school was burnt, could you look after Rena for today? She finds school too easy so if you'd like to teach her about something new, I'm sure she'd love it."

Raven smiled as they neared their cabin. The conversation had brought back memories of Timmy, Melvin, and Teether. "I'll find something for her."

 *

The Professor watched from the large couch at the rest of the titans replayed their conversation with Raven. _Why were they so excited about this? It isn't like she was at any real risk. I'd bet my reputation that she would be the one to always survive going through the portals; there was no doubt she make it. And she's a titan! She could hold her own anywhere._  He pressed his hands over his ears as they replayed the recording of Raven's conversation with the Titans again for the new group of Honorary Titans returning to the tower. _It must be the fifth time already._ He slumped down on the couch.  _Renee, I'm so close. But when the time comes, will you still be waiting for me?_

 *

Raven finished polishing a thick piece of glass that she found beneath the ashes of what used to be a brewery; it was the third piece that Raven had cut and polished into a simple, concave lenses. She fitted the final glass piece into a tube with the others and called Rena over, who had been finishing a math problem that Raven gave her. She quickly showed her how to slide the one lens slightly forward or backward to help adjust it, and she was off, Raven sat in the center of the small room as she looked at different fabrics in the cabin under the rough microscope. Raven looked on with amusement and pulled out her communicator, touched the redial icon and waited as it tried to connect.

 *

"Hey, what's that?" Argent asked, pointing to a blue button flashing on the side of the cube and its attached communicator.

"I dunno, press it." One of the voices said from behind her.

"Because pressing random buttons is always a good-" She was cut short by Kid Flash pressing the button over her shoulder.

"Oh, hello." Raven said sheepishly, expecting Cyborg or Robin to anwser instead.

In an instant she was bombarded with questions, which she tried to answer while keeping an eye on Rena, who was now inspecting her battered leotard and cape which hung on the wall.   _Still have to fix a few tears before I can wear that again._

"Yes, I've met a group of good people here…" She answered a question from who she thought was Aqualad. She ignored the next question as she saw Rena stand up, look around, and run outside.

"Hey, get back here. You're not going out like that, it's freezing!" She yelled after her unsuccessfully. She put down the communicator and the honorary titans could see Raven block the entrance with her powers and force a coat onto Rena, before letting her go outside.

"Whoa Raven, when'd you get a kid?" Jinx asked, her head filling the screen as she forced herself to the front.

"She's not _mine_ exactly."

"You're acting like she is." Argent interjected. Raven ignored her as she stared at the congregation of Kyoshi Warriors forming at the dojo. Rena began running towards them, curious about what was happening.

"Hey, I'll talk to you later." She said absent mindedly, closing the communicator and walking towards the group, where Rena already waited.

 *

"Oh good, Raven." Suki waved her over. "Could you go get Holly, she should be to the south of here."

Raven shrugged and set off on the southern trail that followed a river, fed by the few hot springs on the island. Stepping over a few burnt and fallen trees she walked quickly down the path, rounding a bend when she nearly tripped on Holly's katana and armor. The Kyoshi Warrior was bathing in the hot spring a not far away, cleaning her arms by rubbing fistfuls of sand over them until the dirt had been abraded off.

"I… I'm Sorry." Raven stammered, turning away from her partner's barren body. "I didn't mean to intrude."

Holly looked up at her and let her arms fall to her side. "Sorry for what?"

Raven didn't answer, uncomfortable by the situation. _Sure we're in a relationship…but not in that sense, at least not now…right?_

"Raven, you shouldn't be embarrassed by this." _Wait, nothing for ME to be embarrassed about? What about her?_

Raven glance back at her, focusing only on her face. _My Azar, she's serious. Has she no shame?_

"Can't you at least try to cover yourself? It's indecent."

"For a woman, perhaps." Holly continued, “I was raised as a warrior, you know that, and as such consider myself that over a woman, and that I've treated this body accordingly. Never once did I expect that it'd be any other way."

"Well which way is it now then, with us?"

"…I'm not sure."

"Well cover up at least, it's still indecent to be out here like this, right along the pathway." Raven said looking away from her again.

"A trail that is only used by the warriors; the villagers take a different one to the other side of the mountain."

"Whether you're a warrior first or second, you're a woman to me and you're all that Rena has left. So at least try to set a good example."

Holly sank back into the water thinking about Rena.

"That also means don't do anything stupid if you have to fight. I don't know what we'd do if we lost you." Raven said as she picked up the kimono off the pile of clothing on the ground and slipped it on Holly when she stepped out of the spring, quickly tying the belt portion behind her.

"So why were you even taking a bath at this time of day?" Raven inquired as she picked up the rest of the equipment from the ground.

"Oh, Suki told me to –realized we hadn't washed since the dance." She answered, but her mind still on Rena.

"You'll do fine, Rena adores you, you know." Holly looked at Raven when she said this, wondering if she had thought this topic over before mentioning it.

They walked in silence for a few moments, and when Holly asked how Rena was doing, "Disturbingly happy." was the best way Raven could put it. Holly nodded and gave her opinion; that perhaps she was still in a state of shock, as she remembered being that way when she met Hiroko, shortly after her mother was killed. They walked in silence the rest of the way back. Raven opting to carry the black leather armor, despite Holly's protest. The armor, she suspected, had metal plates in it somewhere, due to its weight.

 *

They got back to see the Warriors and a few villagers still crowding Suki, who stood with a messenger hawk perched on her arm; the bird's message case decorated with the Fire Nation emblem in gold, representing a family from the upper class. The warriors were talking quietly amongst themselves, fearful but curious of the contents of the letter. "It's to you." Suki said, handing the unopened letter to Holly. Holly opened it and glanced at it, before handing it over Ko to read.

"The commander that you "questioned" had lied. It was a test. One month until the actual attack. Far stronger." Ko finished reading the short message. "Who's this from?" She asked, her voice unsteady.

"Doesn't matter. We can trust it." Holly answered quickly.

"Are you sure?"

Holly nodded, remembering the kindness that Mai had shown her. Perhaps it was a lie, but could they chance that? While she had learned to distrust most people to an extent, there was no reason for Mai, for she was certain that it was from her, to warn them of this outside of respect for each other.

"If this is true," Yumiko spoke up, "we stand no chance with just the nine of us."

"We'd need an army." Akiko said. _Or Titans_ Raven thought.

"Not only that, but we can't fight off an invasion with our tactics. If we fight individually, as we usually do, we would be killed in minutes." Suki stated.

"The villagers," Akiko continued, ignoring Suki's point for the moment, "there's a few hundred of them across the island. If they hear about this they'll fight alongside us, or want to at least."

"Ko, Yumiko, I want enough armor and weapons for every person on this island. You have a week, and I don't care how you get it." Suki started issuing orders and the two were off. "Akiko, Masa, spread the word to the villagers. No merchants can know. Tell them that every person who will fight to come to the dojo tomorrow at dawn. Volunteers only." Suki sent the others off of different jobs across the island, knowing that if there was to be a large invasion, their island should be at little risk from the Fire Nation until then.

"Tactics, we need new tactics." Suki muttered to herself, thinking of the island: the mountains almost completely sealing off the west side of the island, while east was relatively flat with mountains surrounding the main bay. There was a smaller bay on the north side, but it was relatively sealed off by the thick forest, it would be impossible to move more than a dozen men through it with any order. Suki muttered bits and pieces of the topography out loud as she ran through scenarios in her head.

"Suki?" Raven caught her attention. "Have you heard of the phalanx?"


	12. Loayal To No-ona

I don't own any multi-million dollar companies last I checked, so I can safely assume that TT or A:TLA aren't among my assets either. Enjoy. And my cat says hello, lets blame the slow updates on her – she likes sitting on the keyboard so it's quite hard to type…or something.

 

*

 

The alarm sounded throughout the Titan's tower, waking up Beast Boy from his midday nap. He woke and rubbed his eyes for a moment, and opened them to see Speedy, Jinx and Aqualad running out of the tower.

"Hey!" He called after them, "you forgot to turn it off!" But they were already gone. He grumbled a bit and got up, stretched, and walked over to shut it off. He pressed to flashing red button labeled "Alarm 1" but the siren continued. He pressed it several more times before realizing that the second alarm was also sounding. By now Argent and the others had come to the common room to see what the commotion was.

"Yo Robin!" Cyborg called out when he came up to the council to shut off the second alarm. Robin came in right behind Starfire, he had been training in the gymnasium moments before and worked up a decent sweat from it. His muscles still burned slightly when he looked at the screen and grimaced, seeing the black robots carrying sacks on money out of a bank. "Slade." Was all that he said; the single word filled with so much hate and anger that it silenced everybody else.

A small tone from the council sounded and Cyborg quickly put up on the large screen.

"Hey," Jinx's face filled the screen. "We might need some backup here." She said as she threw a hex behind her. "It's those damned robots again." Robin's eyes widened for a brief moment before he sent Argent and Beast Boy to help them. Cyborg shut the screen off again as he and the rest of the team left to stop the bank robbery.

Slade counted the number of people leaving the building and chuckled as the last one left. He turned and climbed through a small, two foot wide hole cut into the side of the tower. The professor greeted him inside the tower and led him down to the room that held the nearly completed machine.

_Were those kids really going to help me? Not just leave me behind to fend for myself in a hostile world as they searched for their own friend?_

It was a question that the Professor had spent sleepless nights over many a time. Sure, the kids never showed any bad intent, but he always knew he was accepted by them out necessity. They needed to get their friend back, and if he was the only one, then they had to work with him despite their true feelings. He had met little resistance when working with the Titans, or the honorary ones too, but he was sure that was because of Robin's orders. It was not a chance he could take, being used by kids and not being able to find his wife in the end, after so many years of waiting.  _Besides, with these robots - these helpers, finding her would be easy._  He thought, trying to justify his betrayal. He walked up next to Slade, who was watching the dismantling and careful packaging of the machine done by his robots. Beneath his mask Slade grinned. The ability to gain passage to a new world, a new galaxy of worlds, was thrilling in itself- and with his army? The possibilities were endless.

Slade stepped outside while the Professor supervised the dismantling and packaging of his beloved machine that was nearing completion. Slade ducked through the hole in the tower's steel wall and approached the submersible that the robots were taking the pieces into. He quickly stepped out of the Professor's line of sight and pushed a crate off the rocks and into the water, the heavy metal parts in it weighing it down as it sank to the bottom of the bay. He waited a moment and pushed another one into the bay.  _That should take care of it. Now he cannot complete this machine, and will be forced to build a new, perhaps larger, one - with my generous donation of materials for him to do so, of course. To think! - A portal large enough for a regiment of my mechanized army to pass through with ease. This may actually be interesting._

 

*

 

Raven stood by a small grove of trees, her hands drumming lightly on Rena's shoulders, holding her close in front of her as they watched several earth benders work to the lightly falling snow. They cleared and shaped the land that the Army would be landing on in a few short weeks, all in accordance to Suki's instructions. Next to her Suki went over the plans with one of the benders. Raven had explained the concept of the phalanx that morning to Suki, and she quickly put the few benders on the island to work clearing the land until it was flat, and constructing two walls, each several feet thick, to protect the vulnerable sides of the formation in battle. The walls create a narrow channel, easily defendable using this new formation, and would force the Fire Nation Army to enter slowly, in numbers that would be manageable to defeat, instead of overwhelming the Kyoshians.

Raven had been helping clear some of the trees away for the last hour, and now that her work for the moment was finished she stood on the sidelines - finding warmth under the trees with Rena at her side, watching idly until her abilities were needed again. Rena thumbed the rough microscope that was shoved deep in her pocket. She looked up at Raven, twisting her head sideways and upwards to see her. "So, how's it work?" She asked Raven, holding the microscope out for her to see. Raven knelt down to her eyelevel and began explaining it in terms she hoped Rena could understand. Fifteen minutes later and only half way through all the questions that Rena had, Ko walked up carefully balancing four bowls of food for them.

"Training for the villagers will start tomorrow, Akiko said there's about a hundred and twenty so far – and that's just from the villages on the coasts. No word from Masa about those in the mountains yet." Ko reported to Suki as she handed her a bowl.

"Good. Any idea where you can get the armor and weapons from?"

"Supposedly there's an Earth Kingdom supply ship that passes by Chin Village every week, should be a relatively easy target." Ko said, referring to the village on the peninsula that Kyoshi Island was once a part of. "Yumiko is trying to confirm that right now."

"I thought the Fire Nation was the enemy, not the Earth Kingdom." Raven interjected.

Suki shook her head. "They aren't the enemy. But we have a bit of a history of not liking each other; although if we had to fight alongside them someday, it probably wouldn't be an issue. Besides, common enemy, I'm sure they won't mind donating." She said with a mischievous grin.

"So Kyoshi really is on its own." Raven said to herself quietly, such that only Rena could have heard.

"It's their loss." Rena whispered back. Raven squeezed her shoulders lightly in response.

"Oh," Ko said with her mouth full, "Holly wanted you two to meet her in the cabin in like, ten minutes, I think." She said, waving her hand towards Raven and Rena.

*

Cyborg took several cheap shots at the bots before they were aware of the Titans' arrival. Firing into the backs of criminals wasn't something that Robin or the others made a habit of. Cyborg remembered Robin once saying that if he has to fight, they'll be facing him and it'll be a fair fight. Slade's bots though? Robin decided that some rules had to be pushed aside when dealing with them. Kid Flash quickly carried any bystanders that were lingering to safety, and returned carrying two bricks, releasing them into the robots as he passed by them. He then took to running in between the other bots, getting too close for the ones he was next to fire at him, but stopping momentarily to let the others fire, and hit their own comrades when he moved out of the way. Starfire took to the air at first, but was forced onto the ground by the bot's guns. Cyborg and Robin cut their way through the mass of machines to help Starfire, who had landed in the center of the group.

Meanwhile, across the town Jinx and the others were greatly relieved by Beast Boy and Argent's arrival. With their help the battle finished relatively quickly, and they decided to pick up the aftermath while Beast Boy flew to the other fight to see if he was needed. Jinx and the bank employees picked up the stray money that had been strewn across the street when she hit one of the bot's sacks with a hex. She walked back to the building when they were finished, tucking a few of the bills from the ground into her pocket as she went. Argent was talking to one of the employees when her communicator went off. "This is Robin, meet up at the pizzeria in fifteen minutes." Argent looked up to see Speedy, Jinx, and Aqualad listening to the same message. She shrugged and went back to talking to the very grateful bank employee.

 

*

 

A short time later, all of the titans were being seated at the pizzeria, completely filling the largest table at the restaurant. Their order was being made before they were even seated, and the teenagers quickly got to talking about the recent battle and eventually the newest movies. Robin decided against calling the Professor and inviting him, because he had refused every other invitation of his and he saw no reason why he would change his mind this time.

Robin excused himself from the table and stepped outside. Thinking about the Professor had reminded him to send Raven the picture of the Professor's wife. At first he refused to give it to them, fearful of it being lost or destroyed. It took many days of convincing him to allow Cyborg to scan it into the system, and even then he kept a careful watch over everything that Cyborg did when he had the wallet sized picture. Robin flipped open his communicator and connected to the machine in the tower, which then connected to Raven's.

"Raven," he said when he saw her face appear on the screen a minute later, "I'm sending over a picture of his wife. I forgot to mention before, but could you keep an eye out for her?"

Raven nodded and looked at the picture that replaced Robin's face on the screen. She said farewell to him and studied the picture as she walked to the cabin with Rena in tow. The woman, who looked thirty at the very most, was pretty with cropped blonde hair, a soft face, and thin framed glasses pushed high on her nose. Robin quickly bid her farewell and went back to the rest of the titans. Raven and Rena were walking towards their cabin, where Holly awaited them.

"Rena, is there many blonde people in this world?"

"Blonde?"

"Light colored hair, a yellow shade."

"Oh, none that I've ever seen. Maybe in the circus though. And Holly used to tell me about one, but that was a long time ago, not anymore." Rena answered as she skipped around some of the rocks, and almost slipping on the ice that was starting to form on the paths.

"What'd I use to talk about?" Holly poked her head through the cabin's doorway, catching only part of their conversation as they approached.

"I'm looking for a woman with yellow hair, you knew one?"

"What about it?" She became guarded.

"The person that sent me to this world, he built the machine to find his wife, but I went through it instead of him."

"And?" Holly asked, still eyeing her.

"His wife had blonde hair." Raven told her and showed her the picture.

Her body went rigid. "You won't find her." Holly said bluntly as she brushed past Raven and left the cabin, heading for the main dojo.

"How can you be so sure?" Raven called after her, following behind her with Rena at her side.

Holly ignored her.

"One question, and then I'll never mention it again." Raven said as she followed her friend into the dojo. Holly kept walking, but gave in after Raven asked for a third time, wanting this conversation to end quickly and never happen again.

"That person's name is Renee, as you might know already." Holly said just above a whisper, quickly so Raven couldn't interrupt her and ask more questions. "She was technically my mother, but the year before she died she went insane. Never left the house once, slowly letting herself waste away. When I came to Kyoshi with Hiroko, I first met Rena's parents. That's where her name came from." Raven could not see the water well up in her eyes as she remembered her past.

"Could I ask how she died?"

"No."

"Then for the sake of her husband."

"She was too damn stubborn to move. The house was on fire and she just sat there!" The outburst surprised all of them, Holly's grip on the shield she held tightened until the edge cut into her hand. Raven caught her as she pitched forward, her legs shaking slightly. Raven pushed her back upright and waited until she had calmed down enough to allow her heal the cut. Holly pushed Raven's hand away when she did try to heal her, instead opting to wrap a cloth around it a few times. Holly squeezed the cloth until it bled more furiously, turning the rag from a worn blue to crimson red. Raven watched with morbid curiosity as her partner caused more pain for herself, focusing on it to calm herself down from the outburst. When Holly's breathing had returned to normal, Raven healed her hand and dabbed her eyes.

Several moments later Holly waved Rena over, who was still standing by the doorway, and knelt down to her. She fitted a shield over her arm, testing if the size was right or not. It was close enough for the time being and she moved on to find one for Raven. She moved like a machine, emotionless and offering no words to either of them. Perhaps she was embarrassed by Rena seeing this, or possibly she thought it showed weakness to Rena, who had just recently gone through her own loss and now needed somebody to look up to – placing much stress on Holly as she tried to live up to the expectations set by her old master and by Rena's father.

"What's this about?" Raven inquired as a shield was strapped to her forearm.

"We have a month until the invasion and you two aren't going to be defenseless. And if you find a way home before then, Rena goes with you." Holly told her in an emotionless voice, matching how Raven used to talk.

"I have my powers, and Rena won't be near the fighting."

Holly looked back at Rena and shook her head. "Only if she ignores everything I've taught her."

Raven glanced at Rena, who gave a meek nod.

Holly continued: "And your powers, they might get you killed. You can't really use them if we fight how you said, packed together like sardines – besides, it will make you a target for them."

The corners of Raven's mouth tugged downwards as she hoisted up the bronze shield. "Don't you have anything lighter?" She asked, not happy about not being able to use her powers.  _She's right though, it would break up the formation._

"Anything lighter is useless. You'll get used to the weight soon."

They walked up the small hill overlooking the bay; Raven secretly using her powers to carry the shield while she walked. Whether Holly knew or not she didn't know. When they got to the top Holly picked up a few stones and backed up several yards away from them. She threw the stone at Rena, who quickly raised her shield in front of her so the stone would harmlessly bounce off. She did it a few more times for Rena until moving on to Raven, who quickly got the hang of it after getting hit in the legs more than a few times.

 

*

 

Raven rested against a tree while Rena and Holly had gone to fetch some water, they had been at it for close to a half an hour and Raven was sure she would have be a few new bruises in the morning. She caught her breath and dialed Robin on the communicator. It rung a few times before it was answered by Argent.

"Oh, where's Robin?" Raven asked.

Argent smiled and turned the communicator toward the rest of the teens. Starfire was trying to cut up her pizza and eat it while Beast Boy helped himself to his personal meatless pizza. She saw Cyborg stealing a slice off Robin's plate while Robing tried to wipe off his hands and defend his food at the same time. After a few seconds they grew silent, all staring at Raven on the small screen.

"The Professor's wife," Raven started, trying to get to the point quickly while they all stared at her, "was blonde haired, something that's unheard of here I guess. An, ah, acquaintance, did recognize her though. She supposedly died in a fire many years ago."  _Maybe that was a little blunt._

The Titan's mood went from cheerful to somber in an instant. Beast Boy broke the silence a solid minute later.

"So who's going to tell him?" He asked no one in particular. Beast Boy looked around the table, he wouldn't want any of the honorary titans to have to do that, and he knew that Robin wouldn't want that either. He looked at Cyborg and then to Robin, who now held to communicator in his hand.

"You know, it might not be a good idea to tell him." Robin pondered.

"Dude, we can't just keep him in the dark like that!" Beast Boy protested, with Starfire nodding in agreement.

"He's been working for years to find his wife," Robin stated, "I think we should let him find out on his own. It would probably be easier on him that way." Cyborg stared at him, expecting more. "And if we tell him now, he would lose his purpose for building the machine. Who's to say he would complete it for us? We need him."

"While you figure that out," Raven spoke up, not wanting to be a part of that decision, "I have to go now, see you all later." Raven closed the device and slid it safely in her belt. Holly was walking up the hill carrying two bokken, or wooden practice swords, over her shoulder. She tossed one to Raven and drew her own. "What's this?"  _And where's my water?_

Holly gave her a weird face and said "Practice." before beginning to spar with Raven, much to Raven's dismay as she imagined how sore she would be tomorrow.  _Maybe I should have used that workout room in the tower, and not let it go waste when Robin wasn't in there._

"How often do you plan on doing this?" Raven asked as she parried a lunge from Holly.

"At least an hour a day." Holly parried Raven's counterattack and struck her on the wrists. "Hopefully more than that though."

 

*

 

"Why didn't the alarms go off? How could we not have known?" Robin yelled out in anger, kicking the piece of steel that was cut out of the wall.

"Why would they go off? It was a wall! Why would I wire up a freaking  _wall_?" Cyborg yelled back at him from across the room. Beast Boy and Starfire stood in the room too, dumbstruck by the betrayal of who they thought was their friend, or ally at the very least. The other titans decided to excuse themselves quickly and check the rest of the tower for anything missing. A task they knew was pointless but did thoroughly nonetheless. Robin stormed out of the room, up the staircase, and went into a small room adjoining the evidence room. Cyborg followed him up and entered to see Robin pulling up Slade's profile from the database.

"We have to find him. It was no coincidence." He said, intently staring at the screen.

"I know." Cyborg left to gather the others. They needed a plan, and they needed it soon.


	13. Winter Winds

 

Raven entered the cabin as the sun dipped below the horizon, with Rena following shortly behind her. She collapsed once she passed through the thick cloth that had been their door for the past two weeks, and to say that she was asleep before hitting the ground was no exaggeration. Rena went behind the simple wooden screen in the corner of the room and changed quickly into her sleeping clothes. She walked over to the thin mattress that Raven slept on and crawled under the heavy blanket that would eventually cover all three of them. Both of them had been hard at work that day, training and sparring with Holly, using whatever was at hand to fight, and more importantly, to defend themselves. The three of them had tried their best not to strike each other hard enough to leave bruises, but several inevitably formed on all of them.

By now, just two weeks after their training started, Raven had near mastered the shield and had grown accustomed to its weight – perhaps because of it being strapped to her arm for the vast majority of each day. It was something that Holly had thought would help her get used to it quickly so she could get used to moving with it. Holly had, as she promised, worn her own weighted shield whenever Raven wore hers.

Holly crept into the cabin after wiping off and putting away the equipment they had used that day. She went to change behind the wood screens and, seeing Raven’s sleeping clothes still in a neat pile on the shelf, finished changing and carried Raven’s clothes out. She nudged her girlfriend with her foot several times in the arm, and then went on to poking her face until shrugging and giving up on trying to wake her. She rolled the heavy blanket off of her companion and rolled her over, revealing the knot in the wide belt that held the grimy kimono together. Biting her lip as the blisters on her hands scraped against the knot, she undid it and rolled Raven into the cleaner sleeping robes – not bothering to pull the mage’s arms through the sleeves before tying it on. Holly took her place in between her new family and fell into a heavy sleep.

 

*

 

The Professor quickly donned a leather smock and thick gloves before climbing up the scaffolding that surrounded the near completed transporter. He pulled down his welding mask and quickly went to work. Within the “abandoned” warehouse that he was in, five of Slade’s robots were present: two tasked to assist him in the assembly, two armed ones who stood at the entrance to the building, and the last one, also armed, walked around the building at seemingly random times.

The Professor scoffed at their presence at first, thinking that Slade was being overcautious in protecting him and the new machine that he had begun building. His escape from the Titans, after all, been an investment of Slade’s resources –an investment that he thought would be worth protecting. It was not until several days after his betrayal of the Titans that he realized why the bots were really there. Ten days ago he had tried to leave to go out and buy some food, being that nobody had brought him any that day. The Sladebots had easily stopped him from leaving. It was then that he realized he was a captive to these machines. To them, the heartless pile of gears that they were, he was worthless. And if he should try to escape, he didn’t know how far they would go in trying to stop him. The Slade that had helped him, even encouraged him, was no more. Only now, after Slade had gotten what he wanted, had he showed his true self. The Professor now lived in a constant state of fear. Fear of the tangible and of the unknown.  And with what little he did know about Slade, his imagination became the only limit to his fears. Fears that were being fed by his gnawing hunger and deepening regret for distrusting the titans.

The last time he had talked to Slade, right after he was stopped from going to get food, he was told:

“There are three ways to motivate men: money, fear, and starvation. I do not have money, I have influence, assets, and power, but not in the form of simple money. Fear is useless as well. In order to fear, you must risk losing something, and there is little more for you to lose. Starvation, however, is always reliable.”

From that day forward, the Professor would receive a single meal a day:  a constantly shrinking bowl of watery rice and every so often, an egg or ounce of meat. Within a short time he began to grow thin –and often, though he would never admit it, he regretted being wary of the Titans and fleeing from their tower; the same tower that, when he was working on the very top of the large machine, he could see through the thin windows that provided the only true sunlight he had seen in days.

 

*

 

A sharp pain shot through Holly’s ribs, waking her up instantly as she pushed the heavy blankets that covered the three aside and jolted upright. The pain persisted for a moment longer before slowly subsiding. She leaned back on her arms and tried to control her breathing, slowing it down as much as she could. After several minutes, she pulled the thick sheets back over the others and laid back down. The intense, sharp pain had now become an aching throb.

_It’s the sharp pains that always get to me. The dull throbbing I can tolerate…_

She rested her head back on her arms and shifted herself on to her side, taking her weight off the persisting pain. A pale hand snaked its way around her waist and pulled her closer. It moved up to her ribs and began slowly rubbing circles where Holly usually had her phantom pains.

“Sorry for waking you.” Holly slurred, her face half buried in her arm and the thin pillows they used.

Raven only slouched down and pressed her ear against the other woman’s back, listening to the heartbeat slowly return to normal, and letting it calm her own racing heart.

She would never tell Holly, but she had been brought out of her own nightmare when Holly had jolted her awake. Her nightmare that night was more of a memory of one of Trigon’s many attempts to turn her against humanity. This time, it came in the form of a genocide. Raven watched helpless as children were killed or worked to death. She remembered the wooden sign that stood above a labor camp just before she was woken up. “To spare you is no profit, to destroy you is no loss.” Is what the sign had said. It was one of the several reoccurring visions she had at night, and quite possibly the only one that made her truly disgusted in humanity –or at the very least, disgusted in their old ways. Although it would be naïve for her to think that it no longer happened.

 

*

 

Robin watched the Professor work from afar, peering through one of Cyborg’s new telescopes, he sat on the rooftop of an abandoned apartment and focused it through the thin windows of the warehouse. He thumbed a switch on the side and the image appeared on a small LCD screen. Robin leaned back from the eyepiece and let out a small yawn. Opening his satchel, he pulled out one of the extra sandwiches that Argent had made for everybody when it was her turn to cook. He watched from afar as the weary man who had betrayed them climbed off the scaffolding and disappeared from his view for a moment. He reappeared a moment later on the far wall of the building to turn off the electricity for the welder. The Professor looked briefly over his shoulder before attempting to power up the machine for the first time. A large electrical arc formed laterally across the new, large, version of the machine before breaking a few seconds later. Robin watched as the Professor cursed at nobody in particular and rushed to turn the power off, before returning to troubleshooting his creation.

 

*

 

Mai sat silently is Tom-Tom’s room with her ear pressed against the thin wall. She had just put him asleep after feeding him when she heard the pounding of a man’s fist against their front door. She was about to answer it in her honeyed voice that she had perfected over the years. Instead she heard her father, who she thought was sleeping, rush down from the upstairs a welcome the man inside.

“What do you want at this time of night?” Mai’s father demanded from the messenger, lighting one of the lamps from the hallway so they could see each other better.

“S-Sir, urgent news from the Admiral. He said he needs more men, to be ready to be deployed in a week’s time.”

“A week!?” Mai’s father nearly shouted out, but kept his voice restrained. “That’s ridiculous, what for?”

“I’m sorry sir, but I can’t answer that.”

“Then you go back and tell that lunatic that I won’t sign a single draft slip until I know why.” Mai’s father stared him down.

“Sir, you know I can’t go back to him with that!” the messenger pleaded with him.

Mai’s father continued to stare at him.

“Alright - but, I didn’t tell you this.” The messenger gave in. “I think he’s going to move up the invasion by a week.”

“Invasion? Does he want that wretched little island that bad?”

The messenger didn’t answer, but quickly took a note scrawled down by Mai’s father to the Admiral and left their home as quickly as possible.

Mai frowned from Tom-Tom’s room. To her, there was no question about what the brief discussion meant.

 

*

 

Raven woke up that morning to thousands of sharp, needle like pains in her feet and legs. She propped herself up and looked down at her legs: which were almost completely covered by Holly’s motionless body.

“Hey, c’mon now, get up.” She whispered at the sleeping woman as she tried to push her off, but only made the small pains worse as the circulation returned to her lower extremities.

“Rise and shine, angel.” Raven said, giving the woman another small push, but she remained in her “dead to the outside world” sleep, a term the Cy had come up with for Beast Boy after one of Robin’s more excessive training sessions.  “And I thought Warriors were supposed to be alert.” She mumbled to herself before giving up and levitating Holly out of the way.

Suki giggled a bit from the doorway, and said something about how attached Holly was becoming to her –although Raven didn’t catch the entire comment.

“Hurry up you two, Yuna is making beef on weck for breakfast.” Suki said as she walked away. _Yuna,_ Raven recalled, _is probably the best cook on the island, if you let her cook only what she wants. Sweetest thing too, would’ve never thought that she was a warrior._

The aroma of thinly sliced roast beef soaking in au jus woke Holly up relatively quickly, earning an eye roll from Raven as they sat down with their crusty rolls, with salt and small seeds topping on them, as Yuna pulled the beef from the pot and plopped it onto each roll. The meal, what would usually be considered a lunch or dinner type of food, was odd to have as a breakfast, but rich in taste none the less. They sat close to the fire as they ate - because despite only a few inches of snow coating the ground, the temperature was well below zero without the wind chill. Many of the other warriors brought out their wool blankets for sleeping and wrapped themselves in it as they ate, and even then a few of them shivered every so often.

 

*

 

“I’m sorry ma’am, but communications have been restricted. Effective since the twelfth of this month.” The clerk said when Mai tried to send her new message to Kyoshi Island the next morning. Of course, it wouldn’t be through the public messenger hawks, instead she had asked for her family’s personal one. With that one, she didn’t have to give the location it was going to.

“Why is it restricted? We never received our notice.” Mai demanded from the man, while trying to keep up her “lady like” persona. _At least, that’s what mother always called it._

“Ma’am, we are not, nor have we ever been, required to give notice of restrictions. There was an unregistered hawk that may have been carrying sensitive information. Nothing to the concerns of you, _ma’am_.”

Mai collected herself and turned around swiftly, not wanting to look at the man, and left the squat building in a hurry. _If that’s the case, then there’s nothing short of going there myself that I can do…_ her thoughts were interrupted by one of her family’s friends, a low ranking general as she recalled, waved her over.

“Mai, it’s a pleasure to see you again. I was just talking with your uncle before coming back to the city. It’s tough for him to be out there all the time, you know…” He continued talking as Mai began to ignore him - he was one of their family friends that enjoyed hearing his own voice. She allowed herself to be walked back home. When she entered her family’s small mansion it was nearing midday, her father had left that morning for “business”, or so he said. He would never bother her with the details of his work, nor would she ever risk pressing the matter.

After slipping off her shoes, she saw a note folded on top of the ice box. Opening it up she read:

 

**_Left with your father on his visit to the northern colonies, will be back in two weeks’ time. Care for Tom-Tom, the neighbor that you won’t talk to makes the food for him. The servants have this week off, you’ll have to get it from her today.    -  Mother_ **

Mai scrunched up her nose and massaged her temples lightly. _Mother never went on those trips with him, not once._ Mai’s thoughts turned from disbelief of her parent’s absence to her fear of the creepy old lady down the road. She turned around, slipped her shoes back on and walked out the door - all the while knowing that she could do nothing about Kyoshi. _Why do I even care that much? A single person, a peasant, I knew only for a few days lives there? It shouldn’t matter…_ She pushed the thoughts from her head, feeling queasy about her helpless situation.

She stood in the middle of the road now. Her nausea intensified as she looked at her neighbor’s house. She knew she wouldn’t talk to the older woman, even if it was for Tom - Tom. She started walking towards the farmer’s market, trying to forget the disaster that was her last attempt at cooking.

 

*

 

Robin laid out the blueprints of the abandoned warehouse that the Professor was working in, while Cyborg stood across from him providing light for them both from his shoulder lamp. It was getting close to six in the morning when Robin came back from his place on the rooftop and fetched Cyborg. _None of the other titans will be up for at least another hour or two_. Robin figured, not wanting to involve anybody else in this right now.

 _Never go to somebody with half a plan._ He remembered his old mentor telling him once, when they discussed the rare occasions that Batman required outside help on a mission. That philosophy had stuck with Robin for years, and that’s why he didn’t want to tell the other Titans until every last detail of the plan was hashed out.

“You said he ran it unsuccessfully tonight?” Cyborg asked as Robin pulled up the recording from the telescope.

“Yes, watch” He said as he reached for the remote to the small television mounted on the wall.

The two watched the silent video play its course, and began discussing how long it could take him to troubleshoot it until it was fully functional. After a solid twenty minutes, they agreed that it would take at least a week for it to be functional. Giving the Titans only a short time to prepare and train for their plan. _If we have any chance of beating Slade, we can’t fight on a moment’s notice as we had before._ Robin knew. _It will have to be well rehearsed too, perhaps we can use one of the warehouses on the other side of town to practice in – they should all be the same design._

“Hey,” Cyborg said, bringing Robin put of his thoughts, “y’know what bothers me about this? We can see the top of this machine from a window twenty five feet up. That thing must be big enough to fit an army through.”

Little did Cyborg know, he had just voiced one of Robin’s greatest fears: that they would be outmatched from the very start. Should that happen, then shutting down or destroying the machine would be their best option – that is, if they wanted to prevent Slade from potentially taking +

over a whole new world. And at this point, Robin was split between his duty to his teammate and the consequences if Slade entered into a world with lesser technology. It was a struggle in values that he felt only Raven would understand, and therefore kept it entirely to himself.

 

*

 

“Damn it’s cold.” Holly muttered as she finished her food, earning a soft kick and a glare from Raven, telling her to watch her mouth around Rena. Holly shrugged it off and tuned into what Suki was saying to them all:

“I’ve already left notices out to the villagers in the valley to stay indoors until the wind at least dies down. I don’t want anybody training for today, we could take a day off anyway. We all know it will only get colder for the next few days. Also some of the islands to our south are having a bad blizzard. That should hit us by tomorrow or the next day. Since most of our fire wood went to the villagers, it’d be better to all stay within one or two cabins…” She continued on before Holly tuned her out and went to get their own wool blanket to share with Raven.

She was quietly happy about being forced to take the day off. She knew she was pushing both Rena and Raven excessively hard, and felt somewhat guilty about it –not enough for her to lose any sleep over it though. It was necessary, after all.

The warriors dispersed back into their own cabins, all of which were already frigid cold inside, to collect whatever blankets and materials they could to keep them occupied for the rest of the day. They all slowly worked their way into Suki’s cabin and started up a card game. Holly and Raven took their own corner of the cabin, while Ko and Yumiko sat themselves down a few feet away and started to make stupid bets with each other to pass the time. Mako found a book to pass the time with while Yuna was attempting to teach Akiko a small, flute like instrument that she called a “chanter”. As Yuna tried to teach Akiko, Rena sat and watched them intently. The other warriors all occupied themselves with something, be it shining their armor or whittling a small statuette, while Holy and Raven watched from their corner –content with just sitting beneath their heavy blanket.

 

*

 

A/N please review if you liked it, or even if you hated it and want to disembowel me for even writing it – at least tell me why. The genocide mentioned earlier as one of Raven’s “visions” / memories was the Cambodian genocide. Which, despite my sick and twisted sense of humor, is one of the handful of things that I won’t joke about. Sorry for introducing a new OC (Yuna) this late in, but they honestly have no effect on the plot so don’t worry about her. One of my (kind of good) friends was an exchange student and went back to Japan a few days ago when I wrote that part. So I figured “why not?” and wrote her in. The meal that they ate is also a personal favorite, and I often wonder who reads this far into the author note. Well, if you do read this far, much thanks for sticking with my story so far. There shouldn’t be too many chapters left, one at the least, three at most. Depends if I make the epilogue an entire chapter or an entire paragraph. If there’s anybody out there that sees a weird wording in the story, do leave a comment or pm so I can fix it. Also I think I’m using too many commas, correct me if they become cumbersome and get in the way. Much Thanks everybody!


	14. Through The Never

didn’t want to ditch you guys for roughly a month and a half without saying a word, and I didn’t want to get halfway through the ending scenes and then just stop for a while. So as I just said, I probably won’t be able to post anything until mid- to late- august. I will, however, have a few days that I can fix any mistakes / miswordings if they’re pointed out to me. So please just drop a review or a PM if you find something like that in any of the chapters. Also if it becomes confusing when I say “her” or “she” and it could mean either Holly, Raven, or somebody else – so yeah, I’ll go now.

 

 ~~~

 

By the next day, the storm had hit the island hard and held no reserves. Suki’s cabin, one of the few ones that had a solid door on it and not a heavy cloth instead, had held up exceptionally well against the onslaught of snow, hail, and wind the previous night. And the storm showed no sign of letting up; and, with the temperature so low outside that one’s spit would freeze before it hit the ground. The Warriors inside were becoming extremely bored, having exhausted the playing cards and gotten tired of telling stories to each other. Raven had debated calling the other titans to talk to while Holly either slept or wrestled with Rena, but decided against using up what was left of the battery – knowing that the freezing temperatures would diminish it quickly. Raven snuggled in close to Holly, who intern was leaning against Ko’s back – who was in a deep sleep. Or as Suki joked, she often hibernated, and nothing short of a small war could wake her up. The four of them - which included Yumiko, who had her legs propped up on Ko and had stretched herself out on the floor - were all covered by two of the wool blankets.

“So bored…” Raven whined a bit as she looked up at Holly, whose arm she was resting on.

“Then go back to sleep.” She murmured in response.

“I don’t usually sleep for more than four hours. Just slept for six and it already feels weird.”

“Seems like a personal problem.” Holly smiled lazily as Raven repositioned herself higher on her chest. They both fell silent for a few minutes before Raven perked up again, but only fell back down a moment later.

“What is it?” Holly inquired.

“Just an idea, but I don’t think it will work.”

“Could still try.”

“I dunno, I’ve never tried it without a device that I have back home. Theoretically though, I should be able to…”

“Just get on with it.”

Raven repositioned herself again, this time in front of Holly, facing her as she looped her hands around her partner’s neck and stared directly into her eyes. Raven’s eyes grew a shade of red, not quite the crimson that was indicative of Rage’s presence, but still a color just as unsettling. Within a moment, she slumped forward unconscious onto Holly, nearly knocking them both over. Holly too was unresponsive and never felt Raven fall onto her.

 

*

 

Holly woke up laying on a cold, barred rock. She propped herself up on her elbows and glanced around, seeing the vast nothing that awaited her. She let herself get lost in the blackness beyond the rock for a moment, before finally walking over to the edge to look over. And then stick her out over. She clenched her hand into a fist but could barely see it, she pulled her hand back from over the edge and it became visible once again. Raven stood in the middle of the rock now, and watched as Holly walked back to her.

“What the hell? And how’d you get here?” She inquired, more curious and shocked than angry.

“Welcome to Nevermore, or at least that’s what Cyborg calls it, I never did choose a name for it.”

“Didn’t answer my question.”

“This is Nevermore, my mind –sort of. Either way, look around a bit, time will pass more quickly here too.”

“I’m in your mind.”

“Mhmm.” Raven turned and started walking towards the edge of the floating rock. “I want you to meet Love first. Well, maybe I don’t, but she won’t let me live it down if she isn’t first.” Raven reached the edge of the rock and kept walking. Holly was about to shout for her to stop but stopped herself short, seeing smaller rocks float up to meet the edge of the platform and form an indefinite pathway.

“What do you mean by “Love” wants to meet me first?”

“Love, she’s a person –sort of. When I was young I learned to deal with and isolate my emotions. To do that, I separated each emotion into a different person. One for Love, one for Rage, there’s Happy too…” Raven drifted off as she stared into the blackness. They reached an arch and Raven stopped, Holly coming up next to her. “What’s this?”

“Each of my emotions has their own domain, or home. The gate is like a doorway into it. Get on.” She said as a rock floated up to the side of the path and Raven stepped onto it.

“You brought me here to meet your emotions, so why are we skipping this one?” Holly inquired, but still trusting Raven’s judgment and getting on the rock.

“If we have it my way, you won’t meet her for a while longer.” She said as Holly looked back at the gate.  “Lust” She whispered, reading the barely legible word above the gate.

“Yes, now hurry up.” Raven said over her shoulder, already back on the path and walking ahead. Holly didn’t notice them pass under another gate until the nothingness that surrounded them became a beautiful sunset. Holly looked down to see herself barefoot with damp, soft grass coming up to her ankles. Where they were standing was looking down onto a small lake, with the sun just about to dip below one of the rolling hills on the opposite side of the lake. “Meet Love.” Was all that Raven said to her, as an exact replica of the woman –save for the color of her cloak –came running towards her, leaving the blanket that she was laying on far behind her. Holly was almost knocked down from the hug that she received, a _s if she didn’t even try to slow down,_ she pondered. The long string of words that came after Love removed herself from Holly was unintelligible; and, once she was finished she just stood there gasping for breath as she tried to smile at the same time. Love was still panting with her arms grasping Holly’s shoulders when Raven walked away and said: “Let’s go, you can come along Love.”

Love let out a loud, joyous, laugh and proceeded to latch her arms around Holly’s neck as she maneuvered herself behind the woman. Holly followed Raven out of the domain carrying Love piggyback style.

“Who’s next?” Love, who was resting her head on top of Holly’s, asked Raven. “Ooh, can it be Happy? I haven’t seen her since yesterday!” Love’s answer to her own question earned an eye roll from both the other woman. They kept walking for another twenty minutes, with Love occasionally climbing down to walk on her own –but it only lasted a few minutes until she climbed onto Holly’s back once more.

“Hey Rave,” Love slurred, “Why’d you let me out? I thought you didn’t want us leaving our domains unless we needed you real bad.”

“Since defeating _him_ , I’ve been able to let certain emotions run free again –theoretically, that is. I saw no point in taking that risk until just recently.” Raven responded, she never did get comfortable with saying Trigon’s name out loud, even after his defeat. “In theory I should be able to have control over myself, even when Rage is in power. But to test that would be idiotic.”

“But that doesn’t mean you had to keep us all locked up, some of us are harmless, you know.”

“Hmm, that’s a good point. Maybe I’ll let Timid out.” Raven retorted; Love frowned and buried her face into Holly’s shoulder as they bounced along the rocky path.

“She’s right, you know.” Wisdom said from one of the smaller floating rocks below them. Raven, taken by surprise, looked behind them to see the gate far in the distance. _I hadn’t even noticed that we passed through the gate_.

“Dang Yellow, you didn’t even decorate.” Love commented on Wisdom’s domain. “I mean this could literally look like _anything_ you can think of.”

“I told you not to call me that.” Wisdom stepped off her platform and onto the main path. “Besides, decorating would just be a distraction.”

“How is she right, Wisdom?” Raven asked with a sigh, knowing that Wisdom was probably eager to tell them. She was, despite her name, second only to Rage in her arrogance.

“There’s a tale, from one of the smaller dimensions I believe, of a servant of the devil who is sent to kill a young child. The servant could not bring himself to killing the boy due to the boy’s naivety of the situation, or so it is thought. Several of the variations claim that it was because of the boy’s resemblance to the servant’s son in his past life. Regardless, the servant kidnapped the boy, making it seem as if he had died, and brought him back to Hell to care for him without his master ever knowing. The servant found that when he was caring for the boy, his powers greatly increased, as he now had a reason to exist. His love, you could say, had made Hell tolerable for him and even allowed him to thrive in it, to an extent.” Wisdom finished, hoping that she wouldn’t have to explain it further.

“What happened at the end?” Holly asked, still carrying Love on her back.

“The child grew up, realized his absence had driven his real father into insanity, killed the servant as revenge, and then died attempting to kill the master.”

“Oh.”

“The point being, is that Love has already shown that she has great control over Rage. In fact, I would go as far as saying that love is one of the few –if not the only –thing that can stop Rage. And while it used to be extremely dangerous to let Rage loose, I believe it was because Love was never present before now. That, and without _his_ influence anymore, you should be able to access you powers more freely and with more control over them.”

“Hey Rave,” Holly turned towards her, “that true? That Love was never present before and whatnot?”

“I’m not answering that.”

“Completely true.” Love filled her in. “I mean, I was always around for when I she was a kid, but love for a mother figure is completely different. Is was like being a passenger in a car, where now I’m the driver.”

“Car?”

“A stupidly expensive carriage that goes fast.” Raven said. Holly shrugged and looked around for Wisdom, who seemed to have disappeared.

They continued walking down the path and through the arch that indicated the end of Wisdom’s domain. Raven walked in silence, her head beginning to ache from the strain of keeping Holly in her mindscape without the mirror. In fact, she had never done it without that mirror, or another very similar device. _Perhaps Wisdom is right. Rage has most of my powers, regardless of if they’re good or not. And I haven’t been meditating nearly as much, maybe Love’s presence is the solution._

“Of course Wisdom’s right, that arrogant shits never been wrong before, has she?”

Raven looked up, surprised. In front of her stood Rude, donning an orange cloak and crossing her arms, tapping her fingers impatiently.

“Who let you out of your domain?” Raven asked, ignoring Rude’s previous response.

“I did, you fool. Or maybe it was one of Happy’s imaginary friends, hell if I know.”

Holly burst out in laughter, catching them all by surprise. “Spirits Raven, you’re an ass.” She said, giving Raven a wide grin.

“It’s not that funny.” She weakly defended herself.

“Kind of is.” Holly said, still grinning.

“We’re leaving. This is giving me a headache anyway.” Raven said, brushing past Rude to get in front of Holly. She ignored the scoff that Rude made at her and shooed Love off of the other woman. Allowing her eyes to turn a maroon red, her chakra glowed a touch before Holly blacked out. Two duo returned to the real world, still wrapped in a thick blanket while the others had long fallen asleep.

“Hey,” Love turned to Rude, “you think we could get out like that? Just get her to stare at us a bit and…”

“Go away.” Rude cut her short.

“But I think this could work.”

“Now. Go away, now.”

“Hmph.” Love turned and headed back for her domain, occasionally glancing back to see Rude still standing there, watching her walk away.

 

~~~

 

A/N I forgot to mention, that just recently it was pointed out that “Yea” and “yeah” are different words, with different pronunciations. Never knew that, feel like an idiot for it too. I’ve yet to correct all of the times that those two were switched. 


	15. Bells Are Ringing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I really didn’t like writing this chapter and the next one, mainly because of the lack of dialogue in them. That, and I absolutely suck at writing action scenes. That being said, this was going to be an 14,000 + word chapter, but I decided to split it in two because I didn’t know how long it would take me to finish the other portion. Next chapter will be mostly action, this one – not so much. Hoping to get the next chapter up by the end of the month, and within next few chapters the story should be about done. After which, I plan on either rewriting the first 3-4 chapters, writing an epilogue of short, random scenes detailing life afterwards, or Holly’s backstory. Drop a review to say what you want to happen first!

*

 

It had been three days since the blizzard broke and the frigid temperatures have risen to slightly above tolerable _. A full week until the invasion should happen,_ Suki pondered from her seat outside the dojo as she helped the citizen soldiers into their heavy armor that Ko and Yumiko had happened to “stumble across” while “fishing” and “borrow”, as Ko had so kindly put it. They had only needed half of the equipment that they had pilfered off the Earth Kingdom ship just over two weeks prior. The transport ship that they had borrowed from was a common merchant ship that the Earth Kingdom had forced into carrying some of their cargo every so often. And according to Ko and Yumiko, they had even helped the merchant push the rest of the cargo overboard –the merchant ship’s captain claiming that it was easier to say that he never received the shipment that telling them that he was robbed of half of it.

 Then again, Yumiko’s love of a good story was renowned by the Kyoshians, and many of them wouldn’t hesitate to place exaggeration on her list of talents.

In the cabins on that morning, Raven was helping tighten the ties on the leather and steel armor as Holly stood rigid with her arms parallel to the ground, allowing Raven free access to finish up the knots. While in the adjacent cabin, Ko attempted to tighten the ties over the shoulders with her teeth while Yuna and Masa, in the clearing outside of the cabins, had already had the stew for breakfast prepared and were already serving it to the farmers-turned-soldiers.

“Hey,” Raven touched Holly’s shoulder after finishing the last knot, already clad in her own lighter version of the armor. Holly looked over at her before taking the opportunity to steal a swift kiss away from her.

Raven gave a weak smile at her after they separated and continued her sentence: “Robin and Cyborg had contacted me last night. They said that they were going to attempt to come into this dimension soon, though they left out many of the finer details, should they succeed…I’m not entirely sure…” “…what will happen with us.” Holly finished her sentence, with the same solemn tone that Raven had spoken in.

Holly forced a faint smile onto her face and attempted to reassure her beloved. “We’ll cross that bridge when it comes, together.” Holly had said, but her own voice faltering and betraying herself.

Raven reluctantly withdrew from the embrace that they had fallen into when she heard her name being called by a certain young girl waiting for them outside. Holly followed her out only a minute behind, intending to join with Raven and Rena, that is, before Suki had waved her over to the racks of chest plates to help her tie them onto the farmers who stood single file waiting to get their armor.

“Remind me again why we didn’t allow them to take their own set of armor instead of keeping them here.” Holly said to Suki as she sat down on the stool opposite her, with the farmer waiting to be fitted in between them.

“Oh shut up.” Suki rolled her eyes. She had been questioned constantly about the decision because of the warriors having to take turns fitting each soldier every day. And she, personally, was beginning to regret the decision for that very reason. “I overheard part of Raven’s conversation last night, saying that they would be coming for her soon.” Holly swallowed hard, she hadn’t been expecting a continuation of her conversation minutes before. “I just wanted to remind you,” Suki continued, “that staying here or leaving with her is your decision, and I don’t want me or the rest of the Warriors getting in the way of it. We’ve all agreed on this.”

“You all have?” Holly asked, looking up from the knot she had just finished on a young man’s chest plate.

“Yep, and something more.” Holly looked up as Suki continued to speak, “While it is your decision, you should make it quickly. If you decide against going with Raven to her world, should it even become a possibility, she deserves to know immediately. Disappointment can be cruel, but hope can be hope can be crueler.”

Holly nodded and stood up, opting out of helping Suki with tying more of the tedious knots.

 

*

 

A burly man held a small, collapsible telescope. He peered through it at the lashing waves that battered the coast of the small, rocky island that they would soon conquer. His hands, freezing cold from the long time he had been standing on the deck without gloves, were massive and made the telescope look like a child’s toy in comparison. Another man, a shipmate in his early twenties, had just came out of the interior wearing full winter clothing – leaving nothing uncovered except for his eyes.

“Sir, come inside. Even though there isn’t heating, it’s still warmer than out here.” The young man yelled above the sound of the waves and the wind against the hollow steel hull of the ship. The burly man, the captain of the ship and admiral of the small invasion fleet, nodded in response and followed him through the hatch and into the ship’s interior. The inside of the ship was still cold, with only torches and the men themselves providing heat. The Admiral knew the disadvantage they would be at if the defenders of the island saw the black snow that was so well associated with a coming invasion, and thus decided to have the ships shut down their engines and drift with the currents closer to the island, only to return power to the engines once they had been detected.

_Not that it would give us much of an advantage, as an island, it’s damn near impossible to surprise them. Perhaps, though, we have cut them short of some time to prepare for the coming events of the day._  The admiral thought as he stepped into a slightly warmer room, packed to its capacity with foot soldiers armed with short swords, axes, and the occasional spear or javelin. _The actual fire benders,_ the Admiral had decided, _will be in the second wave of the attack. For they’re too precious of an asset to waste on the first landing._ The Admiral scoffed slightly, cursing at his superiors for giving him such a small amount of fire benders and inexperienced soldiers for such a highly ranked operation. 

 

*

 

On Kyoshi Island, two women rushed out into the town center towards an old ship’s bell that was mounted on a small, stone platform. The women, who had been on watch that morning, reached the bell and began to frantically ring it –it’s sound deafening as it bounced against the homes and shops of the villagers. A quarter of a mile away, another two people heard the bell being rung without stop. This time, a young boy and his older sister, began to ring a bell of their own. As did the next people across the valley and those down on the southern coast, each spreading the signal until the cacophony of bells could be heard from every valley and every coast of the small island.

_Did Mai lie to me? We should’ve had another week._ The thought shot through Holly’s mind as she heard the bells, the signal of an approaching warship. She shared a glance with Raven, who was herding Rena towards her.

“It’s possible. But there’s a good chance that we’ll never know.” Raven said, knowing what was running through her partner’s mind, based solely on the emotions she let off.

Holly nodded and tried to push the thought from her mind. She looked over to the dojo and saw with relief that her fellow warriors were already in action: Ko and Yuna had started passing out the eight and twelve foot spears that had been stolen from the Earth Kingdom’s supply ship, while the rest of the Warriors and many villagers began hauling out the rest of the breastplates and helmets, the leather and steel bracers and the heavy bronze shields, along with the short, eighteen inch swords that could be used when a soldier loses their spear –a common occurrence even despite the extremely dense wood used to manufacture the shafts with. Within a short time, nearly a third of the entire island’s population, all gathered at the dojo and the main village, was armed and ready to fight for their home –as ready as they’d ever be, at least.

 

*

 

The last of the children and mothers who had manned the lookout stations across the island had finally scrambled down and join the rest of the villagers. Suki gave the bell in the main village a few hard raps with her fan, a weapon that she wouldn’t be using that day, to draw the militia’s attention.

“You all know what you must do today,” she started, stepping on the bell’s stone platform, “and every one of you knows the consequences if we fail. If you feel the urge to flee when the fighting starts, know that it is natural, and fight it with every fiber of your being. But if you do, then the Fire Nation will deal with you when we have been overwhelmed. We have less than an hour until they reach our shore, bid farewell to your family and pray that it will not be your last farewell.”

Suki spoke with confidence and her words held more weight than any other that Raven could remember. _At least she isn’t giving them false hope._ Raven pondered as Suki paused in her very short, and somewhat cynical speech.

“Today we will fight in a way that we never have before.” She continued. “It’s an ancient tactic from another world, but effective none the less. We’ll be fighting close together, so remember this: the shield that you hold does not protect you. It protects the man to your left. So if you dare think of fleeing in the middle of what is to come, then remember that you are killing the man next to you; be it your own brother, your friend or a complete stranger. I have no doubt that you will fight well today. I have trust in every one of you, and must hold that same trust. Trust your fellow rank-mate to protect you, as you protect the next down the line. Trust the man behind you to fight hard, as he reaches over you with his spear.”

Suki paused for effect. She and a few other of the Warriors had put together the speech when the blizzard had them trapped inside for several days, and although Suki thought it was a touch harsh, and rather blunt, she knew that it would drive home the point. She continued on with the rest of what she wanted to tell her fellow citizen-soldiers before the enemy could begin to land on their shores.

“The terrain here is too rugged for them to come at us with anything but foot soldiers. We were fortunate enough choose where we fight today –a luxury that not every foe of the Fire Nation has had. We have not let that go to waste, and I ask you to fight with that in mind. The enemy can fit no more than a dozen men through the narrow entrance at a given time, and can mass no more than a hundred on the narrow shore that they landed on. With this, we outnumber then, now we must only out last them. We have done what we could to prepare for this day –even it has come sooner than we expected…”

Raven tuned out Suki for a moment and got Holly’s attention: “What about the komodo rhinos? Haven’t they used those against us before?”

“They’re only good when used in small groups, often for patrols or elite squads, sometimes raids. They used them once in a large battle in the beginning of the war, but the Earth Kingdom’s soldiers found ways to frighten them into trampling the soldiers behind them. First battle that the Fire Nation lost by a huge margin, actually.”

Raven nodded and turned her attention back to what Suki was saying to the crowd: “I urge you, my fellow Warriors –for today you have all earned that honor –to hold fast to what you know and what you have been taught. The phalanx that we will use today can only succeed if we work as one. If we fight as one. To do this, I must ask a great deal from all of you here. I know that you are fighting for your home, and so am I. Be courageous today, for we will need every ounce you can muster –but do not be reckless. Do not risk your life for glory, or even in anger, because in doing so you risk the life of every man in your rank. Stay in formation, and fight alongside each other. Protect the man to your left, and trust the man on your right to do the same for you…” Suki continued on with her speech for another few minutes. Effectively earning more respect from the citizens of Kyoshi that day than ever before. In that single speech, she had proven why she was the one chosen by the generation past to lead the island’s protectors for the coming years.

As Suki stepped down, the rest of the Warriors began to assemble the groups of people who they had personally trained. Holly quickly broke away from Raven and gently pushed her way to her leader. While Raven, unsure of what she was doing, decided to muster the forty or so men that she and Holly had been assigned to train.

“Hey,” Holly said, her voice quavering as she touched Suki’s shoulder, “remember our talk from last week, right?”

“Of course.” Suki said, pulling them both to the side, away from the dispersing crowd. “Raven will be stationed in the back, to help the water benders with healing. She shouldn’t be in too much danger, for most of the day at least. Besides, to pack her in with the rest of us would be to waste her abilities, she could fight with her powers effectively there.”

“Oh, thank the spirits.” Holly let out a sigh, greatly relieved.

“You know, I don’t remember you thanking the spirits for anything before you met Raven. You only used to curse them out.”

Holly rolled her eyes briefly, and gave a halfhearted smile. “Don’t worry, I still curse ‘em out just as much.” 

 

*

 

Akiko hugged her mother tightly for several minutes. She was one of the few Kyoshi Warriors who was still very close with her parents, and was worried greatly about what the coming battle would do to her mother. Especially because Akiko’s father and older brother would be fighting alongside her, to say that her mother had the much to lose was not an exaggeration. Akiko did harbor some anger at Suki, for she, as the de facto leader of the island whenever the war comes close to their home, had the power to convince certain people not to fight that day. And she had done so, mainly when it came to a mother’s only child wanting to fight alongside his father. Or in the case of several brothers all joining the effort together, a case in which –should they all perish –would be devastating to the parents of the young men.

_“If this ends, and we don’t come back to our families,”_ Akiko remembered Suki saying to her one day, _“the villagers will have nobody to lead them. Should that happen, the first people they will look to are those who lost the most. You mother is a strong woman, and I can trust her to make the right decisions.”_

Akiko had run the brief conversation through her head no less than seventy times since they had it. She squeezed her mother one last time before pulling away from their embrace. Her mother gave a last farewell to her family before picking a cloth sack that held what meaningful belongings she could gather before she was rushed out of her home by her husband and son. She stepped onto the worn plank that served as the fishing trawler’s gangway. The rickety trawler was one of the dozen of small ships that were being boarded with all the villagers who would not be fighting that day. The makeshift fleet consisting mainly of fishing and merchant ships, along with a few private vessels that were donated to the cause.

The majority of the villagers were only just arriving at the docks, carrying what belongings they had on their backs, and hoping that their friends and family staying back would succeed in their efforts, and allow them all to return back to their rightful homes. The plan, as coordinated with the local leaders of Whale Tale Island a few of its surrounding smaller islands, would be rather simple. The vessels that held the villagers would set a course directly opposite the direction that the invading ships had come from, heading away from the island, thus allowing the mountains that were the west side of the island to shield their movement from the Fire Nation warships. They would set a straight course until they were out of the warship’s reach, and then turn northwardly towards Whale Tail Island and refuge –all the time ready to turn back to their homes if the signal is given.

 

*

 

The Admiral cursed as he saw people massing in the town center. _Some advantage that gave us._ He spat, before he called out the order to start the engines up again. _At this pace, we should be on their shores well within the hour,_ he looked at the mechanical clock mounted on the wall, _I’d say no more than forty minutes._ He turned his head, hearing the faint squawking of an incoming messenger hawk. The Hawk, carrying the badge of his superior, glided down and landed of the railing right outside of the Admirals window. The large man grunted slightly as he picked himself up and pushed open the watertight door leading outside. He plucked the thin strip of paper out of the cylinder attached to the hawk’s back and went back to the warmth of his cabin to read it, the hawk following him inside.

“A brief reminder of your mission. Kill the witch, the only true threat to our nation in this war. Use any means necessary.” He muttered as he read the note out loud in his private quarters. _That bastard still doesn’t trust me to do this right._ He shook his head and light the thin sheet of paper on fire, destroying the evidence of his true mission. _To think that the soldiers believe that this is a strategic port like the top brass told them, preposterous!_ He thought, pitying the men in the first wave of troops that would land on the beach. He went back to the hawk and waved his hands at it, until it leapt off the rail and took flight back to its home, back to the Fire Nation.    “ _An invasion is too excessive” they said, “a waste of valuable resources.” “A raiding party would be more effective.”_ The Admiral recalled the criticisms by his peers.   _A raiding party? Nonsense! I’ve seen the records, this island has experience with little raiding parties. And a witch, if this threat even is one, could easily stop a few rhinos. Or she could even evade us, hide in the forests or mountains. If that happened, a raiding party would be useless. “Do it right.” Was all the Fire Lord said. And he supported this plan! Take the island and leave nowhere for the witch to run. Raze the forests and scour the mountains, find the witch and kill her on sight. All that we had to do now, was take the island._

The Admiral slowly made his way back to the main munitions bay, where several hundred foot soldiers stood in wait for the ship to beach itself against the shore of the offending island, and the three foot thick steel door that was the front of the ship to crash down onto the beach –providing a path for the soldiers to exit the ship without them having to cross through the near freezing water of the bay.

The Admiral looked down on the munitions bay with contempt, not for the soldiers that occupied it, but for his superiors forcing him to strip the ship of the siege weapons that he was once so proud of. The bay, as its name suggests, used to house five trebuchets, and enough ammunition for them to siege a city for weeks on end. Instead, as his superiors had decided only a few short weeks ago, he would be ferrying soldiers onto the shore to attack the island. _Those fools, they are blind to the destruction that a siege can deal out. To invade an island, no matter how small, without the trebuchets is to sacrifice lives without thought. Oh, how I pity those poor souls below me._

He turned and left the munitions bay without a word, not wanting to socialize with men who were living on borrowed time –time that he himself had a part in shortening.

 

*

 

Raven watched helplessly as several hundred men, armed to the teeth, gathered in front of her.    _Damn you Holly, pushing me to the back guard._ She harbored some anger at her partner, or perhaps it was frustration –frustration that while she knew Holly had meant well by placing her in the back, she hated not being able to fight alongside the people she had gotten to care about. She looked down at Rena, who was adorned in leather armor standing next to her. And while Raven disliked being placed behind the action, she wasn’t blind to the fact that Holly had trusted only her with protecting Rena. Rena, who was too stubborn to get on the evacuation ships with the rest of the villagers.    _Although, considering that Holly and I are the closest thing to a family that she has left, it’s understandable that she would want to be alongside us. Not to say that I agree with sending a child into a battle, but I at least see her reasoning behind it._

She gazed ahead at the mass of people forming into reasonably organized rows. The militia of men and a few woman had formed on a barren field –one of the few relatively flat areas on the entire island. With the help of the earth benders on the island, the field was cleared of the boulders that once littered it and walls had been erected several weeks ago. The earthen walls, each several feet thick and a dozen feet high, had sealed off the field from both the thick forests to the north and the mountains to the south. The field, which was situated in between the main bay of the island and the passage, had effectively become the only passage to the interior villages of the island, as the other coasts had few beaches and many cliffs.

_A perfect location for the phalanx to work: the soldiers have little choice in where they can land, and the topography gives more of an advantage to the defenders._ Raven couldn’t help but see the benefits that played into the hands of the militia.   _For they’ll need any advantage they can get, and then some._

By now, the disorganized citizen-soldiers had formed into ordered rows as they had been trained to do. With nearly forty men in each rank of the formation, and the phalanx ten ranks deep, the mass of human flesh and bronze shields seemed to be impenetrable. Suki stood at the far left of the first rank, with each warrior behind her commanding their own row of soldiers.    _Twenty minutes,_ she estimated, _until all our training is put to the test._

 

*

 

_I knew we should have brought in the armored vehicles._ The Admiral thought as he peered again through his collapsible telescope, seeing the dim winter sun shine against the bronze metal shields of the enemy.        _Those bastards don’t know shit when it comes to invading an island. I’ll have the blood of the entire first wave, every man in the munitions bay, on my hands because the top brass sees them as numbers._

“Fifteen minutes.” Reported the man next to him, sitting in a rather relaxed position. The second in command sat with his pocket watch in hand, constantly double checking it with the clock mounted on the wall.

“Do you hear that?” The Admiral asked, unsure if he was losing his sanity.

“Hear what, sir?”

“The voices; spirits, it sound like a chorus.”

The second in command lifted himself out of the chair and strode over to the windows. Propping one of them open with a spare helmet, he too began to hear voices. The Admiral tossed his small telescope to the floor and withdrew a much stronger pair of binoculars from a footlocker against the wall. “As if they’ve all lost their sanity,” the Admiral said with his mouth agape, “and began to sing a tune before their death.”

The eerie voices of several hundred men, each one of them having already accepted their fate, drifted through the warship’s bridge and could be heard faintly by the soldiers in the munitions room as the fleet drew closer to the small island.

 

*

 

The three warships that made up the invasion force stopped their forward advance when they had reached the entrance of the main bay. The bay entrance, being too narrow for more than a single ship to be able to enter at any single time, forced the small forces flagship to forge onward and head into the bay while the two smaller warships held back.

Only the middle portion of men in in the first few ranks of the phalanx could see the massive hull of the ship as it ran aground only a stone’s throw away from the shore. Some small cliffs, formed hundreds of years ago when the island was created, also helped in forcing the Fire Nation to bottleneck while moving from the shore into the abandoned village –with the militia waiting in between.

_“Every advantage that you can give us,”_ Suki remembered tellingthe earth benders three weeks ago _,   “we’re going to need.”_

Suki grimaced at hearing the huge metal hinges wail as the stem of the ship was lowered down, revealing the scores of men inside. “ _We’ve prepared as much as we can, the only thing that we can do now is fight and pray.”_ She recalled telling her peers when they were all gathered in the village center, just a half an hour ago.    _Fight and pray. Fight and pray._ She heard the clatter of the first wave of the enemy gathering on the shore.     _I suppose it’s too late to pray._

*

 

Robin and Cyborg woke up early that morning, and allowed Beast Boy and Starfire to sleep for a short while longer until everything was prepared. Robin stood up and began stretching, the bare concrete floor cold against is thin uniform. He glanced around the empty building, the lofted ceiling of the old warehouse was at constant risk of caving in more than it already had, and the wood walls rotting through in more than a few places. They had been living in the warehouse for three days now, moving the small single person, dimensional transporter that they had built piece by piece into the warehouse.

After Cyborg woke up from his light sleep, he strode over to the small machine and began checking it over for the last time before they put their hard work to the test. The transporter, which had been built based off the dozens of schematics that the Professor left behind during his betrayal, looked exceedingly similar to the Professor’s original one.   _Well,_ Cyborg thought,   _we worked hard enough on it these past weeks, not much else to do now but wait. If only, if only we had got it working. Then we wouldn’t at the mercy of Slade –but thank the heavens he doesn’t know it._ Cyborg hated the idea of having to rely on both their greatest foe and their former ally to get their machine to work. _I suppose that the Professor isn’t all bad. He did, after all, leave us the ability and many of the materials to make another transporter. Well, most of another transporter at least._ He said, referring to the fact that the system for the machine that stabilized the passageway between dimensions had been left out of the blueprints. Robin had realized that the Professor, always suspicious, had probably memorized how to construct it out of fear for someone stealing his technology. With some luck, and the knowledge gained from working alongside for before the betrayal, Cyborg had built another system to the best of his ability. Not one that would stabilize it alone, for that was beyond his knowledge, but one that would use the power released from another transporter to stabilize their own.   _Now all we need is the other transporter to start up._

Cyborg looked over to Robin with a solemn face. The two of them had discovered Slade’s intentions no less than a week ago –for his small army of a few hundred bots create a stronghold in the new dimension, a base to expand and eventually control it. _Perhaps it isn’t feasible, it sure sounds like it isn’t. But then again, Raven mentioned that the technology there was minimal compared to our world –not even electricity had been harnessed yet. Damn you Robin. With the Honorary Titans, we would have a chance at taking out his army –even if we don’t capture him. Why did he have to be so stubborn? “Save Raven, be in and out of there as fast as possible. It doesn’t matter what else is going on in that world. She’s our only objective. Only after we get her will we even consider facing Slade.”_ Cyborg remembered Robin’s orders for when they went into the other dimension.   _Yeah, it make’s sense an’ all. I know that much. But what if other people are in danger there? We can’t leave it to their own police force if they aren’t there. Granted, I guess that must be why he wants me to stay back and protect the machine. A reasonable request, considering I know how to fix most of it. But some of the Honorary Titans surely could take that responsibility. At least it won’t be long that they’re in that dimension, and we won’t have to look top hard for Raven. A good thing we can link onto her communicator, then they won’t have to search the whole world when they get there._

Cyborg finished up his final inspection of it, checking for loose wires or bolts even though he knew there weren’t any. Robin roused Beast Boy and Starfire as quietly as he could and the four of them sat in a small circle, eating the remains of their food supply of canned goods. 

“How long must we wait here, friends?” Starfire asked to the group as she finished off a can of mandarin oranges and opened a new one.

“I’m not sure.” Robin answered. “However long until Slade decides to put his plan in action.” Robin pulled a deck of cards out from his satchel and began dealing them out, having already ate.

“The transporter is already on,” Cyborg said to her, “even though it don’t look it. Once Slade’s starts up, our will too. Then you guys can go in and get Raven.” His voice betrayed him on the last sentence. He had hoped to sound positive about it, but his tone was laced with the disdain he held for Robin and his decision for Cyborg to stay back. 

 

*

 

“How long until the first group is prepared?” Slade said out loud, despite nobody being in the room.

An automated voice came from the speakers that were hidden throughout the room: “Approximately three hours and fifty-seven minutes. The transporter will start to power up immediately. The operation will begin at ten-hundred.”

“Very well.” He said to himself before lifting himself off of his chair. He walked the paper plate and plastic cutlery that his breakfast was once on over to a small waste bin and pushed it in. Making his way out of his concrete reinforced living area of the warehouse, he worked his way down a wrought iron spiral staircase and past the pair of eight inch thick steel doors that protected his base. He went down another small set of stairs that led underground to a short tunnel, ending in the warehouse that had become the Professor’s temporary hell.

As Slade emerged from hatch on the floor that lead into the main room of the Professor’s warehouse, he was greeted by six of his robots, armed and ready for action. Standing upright to survey the room, he saw the massive transporter looming over the few crates with computers set on them, each wired to the transporter. In the far corner, opposite the entrance, the Professor leaned against another crate. Surrounding him, three armed bots stood guard, and next to his feet laid his who “helper bots” –each with the black soot from a blaster discharge burned on its chest. The Professor turned his head away from Slade, refusing him to look at the man who had promised him everything, but stole his talents and left him even less than what he had started out. Slade held no remorse for what he had done to the man – _A necessity if I was to go through with my plans._ He strode over to a small office like area that had been set up by the bots the night before. With tinted glass walls, it was a small ten-by-fifteen area with only one entrance. Taking a seat in his leather chair, he began thumbing through a few magazines, passing the time as he watched the final preparations for his scheme.

Outside of the glass enclosure, several hundred Sladebots stood in a single file line, marching slowly as they passed the crated lined up on the side of the warehouse. Reaching down the crates as they passed, each one extracted small, pistol like blaster or the occasional elongated rifle. The first group that would be entering the new dimension already stood in wait. “The Pioneers” Was the Slade had chosen as the name for that group, consisting of close to fifty robots. Behind them only the first row of robots stood from the second group. The second group would be the riflemen, twenty of them followed by another forty in the group after. Along with the next five groups, well over three hundred bots would be in the initial stage of Slade’s plan.  _More than enough to create a stronghold. And for a world lacking in technology, they’d need an army to stop me –and even then, they’ll have to fight for their lives!_   Slade relished in his own thoughts of the near future as he waited for his personal army to be completely prepared.

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	16. Thick Skin Of Defiance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as I already said, I really don't like writing action / battle scenes. Mostly because I feel like I won't do them justice –which means I elaborate on it a lot, which means you guys get a 7,800 word chapter. (Which is only half of what this chapter originally was, the rest will be the next chapters)
> 
> I referenced Steven Pressfield's book Gates of Fire (a lot) for help on how to write about the phalanx; being that his book is a historical fiction about Thermopylae. So yeah, if you haven't read that book already, you really should do so –and I'm usually not one for historical fiction. And if you do read it, try to ignore the glaring similarities on pages 285-305ish. Besides, "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."
> 
> Lastly, please review! I know i'm a broken record on this, and you're all probably sick of hearing it (I know that when I'm reading, I get annoyed by it at times, too) but it really is the reason that I write and post it on here. Sure, some people say "write for yourself", and don't get me wrong, I do. But if I wrote only for myself I wouldn't be past chapter three right now.
> 
> Do enjoy! and if you spot any miswordings / grammer issues, no matter how minor and petty, please report them through a review or a pm. i proof read it, but things do slip by more often than I care to admit.
> 
> Do enjoy!

*0o

 

The first ranks of the phalanx tensed as they saw close to fifty men emerge from the small passage that lead into the battlefield. Emerging in three squads of four men across and four men deep, along with low ranked officers that stood out in front of their men. Looking behind them, Suki could see behind them that the fifty men on the narrow field were supported by masses behind the narrow entrance –far too many for her to count with any degree of accuracy.

Suki and every other Kyoshian on the field at that moment found delight in the two officer’s discomfort. The unmoving militiamen watched as the officers reared their ostrich horses back after seeing their enemy. One officer looked back in confusion at the Kyoshians, the other in disbelief.     _How could a puny island muster up an army?_     The more junior officer thought as he stared at the perfectly formed rows, with the eight and twelve foot spears rising perfectly vertical above the soldiers who wielded them, creating a forest of wood shafts and iron tips. The officer heard a call from the far end of the compact mass of men that was their enemy.

“Down!” he heard a woman shout, and he stared slack jawed as eighty spears descended in unison. The eight foot spears, held by the men in the front rank, and the twelve footers, held by those in the second rank, lowered until they were parallel with the ground beneath them.       _A nice little trick,_ Suki thought as she saw the officer’s discomfort,      _to teach them to lower their weapons in unison. Definitely worth the hour of drilling it took to make it perfect._

*0o

 

The Admiral, still peering through his small telescope, hadn’t moved from his chair since his troops first landed on the shore. He sat there, studying the faces of the enemy from his high perch in the ship’s bridge. He swept his telescope back and forth between the shore, where the ship nearly ran aground on just ten minutes prior, and the arena like clearing that he would be forced to enter the island through. He frowned as he studied the village, just past the arena where both the armies had gathered but did not yet engage. He scanned each house, looking for signs of life: be it a face peering through a window, or a child who had not yet been ushered inside yet.   _Abandoned, they must have evacuated it. Thank the spirits for that, a few of the officers on the field wouldn’t bat an eye at torching a home with a family inside if it meant conquering the island a little bit faster._ He scanned the village once more, pausing to admire the statue of the past Avatar even despite the fading paint and cracking wood.    _A relic of another time, I can only hope that it’s spared when our forces reach the village._

He swept his eyepiece back towards the odd formation that the Kyoshians were in. He saw, but did not hear, the enemy’s apparent leader shout a command and, as if the formation he studied was a single being, their weapons lowered; pointing accusingly at the small groups of soldiers in their path. The Admiral, usually a very collected man in the presence of his peers, leapt up from his seat in fear for his own men.    _For a force to be that well trained –spirits, if they’re a professional group…but we had thought the island was too poor to buy mercenaries…and they wear Earth Kingdom armor but seem to have no earth benders…_

He sat back down in his chair, trembling, and disturbed by his own thoughts.

 

*0o

 

“Forward!” Suki called out once more, relishing in the fear that was nearly tangible as it ran through the enemy ranks. The militiamen began to close the short distance between them and the enemy, marching forward in unison and absolute silence –save for the crunching of snow beneath their feet as they advanced.   

  _And for the little effort that it took to teach them to march properly, spirits how effective it is. If only we had time to polish the shields and acquire actual uniforms…_ Suki pondered the effect that having a professional looking military would have on the enemy.     _Because intimidation,_ she knew,      _was the second greatest asset we have in this battle. To have an apparently well trained army meet them, when none was expected at all. That must have rattled the soldiers a bit. But even then, our greatest asset today would be because of Raven. No man, soldier or commander, has faced a style of warfare quite like this one and, at least for today, we should be able to fend them off using it. Come tomorrow though, spirits knows how well they will adapt their strategy to overcome ours; and, as every soldier in the Earth Kingdom knows, the Fire Nation is devilishly good at adapting their strategy._

_Oh, how I hope tomorrow isn’t filled with more bloodshed._

 

*0o

 

Holly peered past the masses of her fellow rank mates, attempting to get a glimpse of the enemy from her station leading the eighth rank back.  _Spirits, they aren’t much better armed than a prison search party. This, this isn’t an army –It’s a raiding party.  If they send them at us…_     Holly began rubbing the nape of her neck, distressed by what she saw,    _this won’t be a fight, it’ll be a butchery._

Then again, butchery was a rather conservative term for what was to come.

Having no specific orders to take action against a militia, but knowing that they could not turn back to their own ship without having shamed themselves, threw the two officers into a short frenzy. _Should they wait for reinforcements? Surely they would already be on their way. Or attack? If we’re to be called cowards for not taking action, our families will be shamed_. Their thoughts were cut short when the militia passed the halfway mark of the unofficial no-man’s land. With their own soldiers preparing to fend off the attack, it was clear there was only one option available to them: the officers called for them to attack.

The attack was hardly felt by the militiamen in the middle ranks, and nonexistent to those in the far back. The front rank of the phalanx braced themselves against their concave shields as the first of the enemy reached them. The stocky farmers-turned-soldiers had no issues holding their position as they thrust their spears downward onto the heads, shoulders, and chests of the men that attacked them; and pushed them back with their shields. Any man attacking the phalanx was not facing a single soldier in a formation. Instead, he was attacking a man who was as immovable as the nine men behind him pressing forward. He was attacking the bronze wall that left no openings, while being rained down upon by the spears of the men taking shelter behind it.

Within minutes of the attack, the third platoon, which had initially held back as the other two rushed forward, committed to the attacked. As they charged into the fray, the body count continued to grow with frightening haste. The bodies that littered the leading edge of the formation now began to pile two or three high as the third group of soldiers met the phalanx. They rushed at the Kyoshians with no particular discipline; scattered in their assault, they attacked the wall of spears and shields no success. The Kyoshians suffered no major injuries or fatalities after the first bloodshed of the day, and the effect that their ‘victory’ had on the men was highly visible among the different ranks. Those in the further back ranks still stood untouched, and many even waited in anticipation for their chance to prove themselves on the field; while those in the very front ranks had now tasted what it was like to fight like this. Some cheers rose through the first ranks, and even though the men knew that the day was only beginning, this small ‘victory’ had lent to the militia’s morale with great effect. It was not to last, however, as their cheering was abruptly cut short when they saw three more groups march through the narrow entrance and stand in the very same place as their former comrades did no more than ten minutes ago.

The phalanx had stopped advancing when the first attackers launched themselves forward. And now, with dozens of the enemy killed in a single attack, some of the grown men in the front rank ducked behind their shields and vomited.    _To kill,_    Suki knew,    _is an unnatural thing for nearly all of these men. To step up, or perhaps degrade themselves, to doing this for their homeland earns them more respect than many of the Warriors will ever deserve. As Warriors, we became assimilated to fighting early on in our life. Fighting, not killing, was what we knew best. But the idea of killing was never very removed from us if we knew that’s what it would take to protect the island._   The more Suki thought about it during this lull in the combat, the more she realized that while many of the Warriors have never even killed before, it was not to say that none of them have.    _Holly, she always comes back home, but it would be ridiculous to think she doesn’t have blood on her hands. Didn’t Raven say they encountered two patrolmen when they first met? I wonder what had happened to them…_ Suki already knew the fate of those patrolmen, but it would take her longer to come to terms with it.

Suki looked out from behind her shield, she knew it was possible for a pause in combat to last for this long, but it was never a good sign when it did.     _I could order an advance, and attack them as they are. That is, standing vulnerable in their formations._ Suki shook her head at the option, before realizing that many of the people close to her were staring at her, looking to the young woman to make a decision, while many others were perfectly content at not having to kill again right this instant.     _No, I can’t. To attack them now wouldn’t be a fight, it would be murder. Their commanders are searching for a new strategy right now, no doubt. Should we allow them and take the time to catch our breath? Or press forward with another attack…?_ Suki glanced over her shield again, the soldiers were shuffling about now, and their original four by four formations no longer existed.   _I suppose that answers that._ Suki thought with a grim internal laugh. She watched as the next forty-eight soldiers filed into a phalanx like formation of their own. They formed into groups of eight, with two rows of four soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder, as if imitating the compactness of their enemy’s formation.

Suki frowned when she saw the first group of eight rush forward. Their compact formation attacked at the middle of the front ranks. Their new opponents, adorning heavier armor and small bucklers along with their weapons of choice, attempted to imitate the style that their fellow country-men had just been beaten back by.

 _No archers and no fire benders yet? Strange…_ Suki had noticed as the middle of their formation was engaged. And although their compatriots were being attacked, the fifteen militiamen and women on each flank of their phalanx could do nothing without breaking their formation, and thus removing any advantages that it offered. It killed Suki inside to see those that she had personally trained fighting, with her helpless only a stone’s throw away.      _“You must stay together. Know your place in the formation and it will hold.”_   Suki remembered Raven telling her when she first suggested the phalanx. Suki bite the inside of her cheek, a habit she had formed to help control herself at times, and dug her nails deeper into the grip of her spear.

She watched helplessly as one of the militiamen had his shield torn from his grip, the leather straps ripped out of their oak base. The bronze shield, with nothing supporting it, fell comically onto the attacker’s foot. Had the clashing of steel and bronze not echoed throughout the valley, Suki would have heard the sickening crush as the shield shattered several bones in the man’s foot. The Kyoshi Warrior’s leader now radiated with pride as she saw the shieldless man attack with his short sword; and the man to his right fall onto one knee, in front of the defenseless man, and brace himself for the impact of the enemy’s weapon onto his shield. Suki watched with awe as the duo worked seamlessly together, one defending as one attacked, all the while not threatening the integrity of the front line.    _Zhang Lei and Wang Yong._ She remembered the duo’s names.    _Childhood friends from the village on the west coast, if I remember correctly...I can only hope that they make it out of today alive._ Suki sighed, unhappy with her own cynicism.

But she had spoken too soon.

Zhang, the older of the two, cried out in pain as a spear tip shredded through his exposed shoulder and one punctured clear through his shin. Wang thrust forward with his shield, pushing his friend’s attackers away, but also pulling himself out of the front line. Suki cursed as she saw the line begin to falter when Wang went into a fit of rage, stepping out of the formation and into the onslaught of the next group of eight fresh soldiers advancing into the battle.

Suki let out a sigh of relief as she saw a few soldiers from the second rank surged forward to fill in the gap and re-strengthen the front line. And then, despite her best efforts, a smile grew on her face. She saw the Wang throw down his shield and rush into the next group of soldiers, who were still advancing to meet the Kyoshians. When he was just a few steps out of their range, an obsidian claw came down from above and scooped him up into the air, before retracting to the back of the battlefield.

 

*0o

 

“Stabilized.” Wang heard Raven say as she knelt down next to his best friend and rest her hand on his forehead. Raven’s chakra glowing slightly as she allowed the two water benders that resided on Kyoshi Island to begin healing him. Once she was satisfied that the bleeding had stopped on both of the wounds she turned up to the injured man’s friend.

Raven, keeping her eyes focused on keeping the boy stable and immobile as he was heal, looked up to Wang and said: “That was completely foolish.”  _But I can’t say I wouldn’t have done it myself._

Wang nodded sheepishly, knowing that this was no time to argue the point. He watched as Raven withdrew her hand from the man’s forehead. She formed another claw and sent it soaring above the heads of the two warring armies, until it dipped down to the earth to drag back another man from the front line. This one, an older man well into his sixties, shouted at her insisting that he could fight. Raven wasted no time in binding the man down so the water benders could tear off the bronze armor that had been pierced and treat a gaping stomach wound. Had great amounts of adrenaline not been coursing through the man’s veins, he surely would have been unconscious from the pain.

_Funny thing, humans are. So feeble, and yet under the right conditions, they can withstand far more than they should be able to…_

The man strained against the obsidian bonds while the healers did what they could, although Raven knew that his chances were slim, especially considering his age.

Even from the very back of the phalanx, Raven and the healers, along with the few injured so far, knew that the battle had gone unusually well for them so far. And in the back of everyone’s mind, was the recognition that it would eventually change tides.

 

 

*0o

 

“Aces and fives.” Beast Boy laid his cards down on the ground as the others began to count the amount of points they had in their hands. He yawned and stretched out his arms, stood up and began stretching out his back. “And the amazing Beast Boy wins again. So why can’t we play a different game? I mean, I love winning as much as the next guy, but a game that isn’t Three-Thirteen might be a nice change.” He gloated as he twisted around to stretch again.

“Because that the only game Robin knows, and he’s too suborn to learn a new one.” Cyborg told him for the third time, still unhappy with Robin’s choice to not allow him to go into the new dimension with the rest of them, and taking every chance to make a jab at him as possible.

 _“We need you here,” he said. “We need you to keep the machine running and secure. You know how to work it best, it would only make sense.”_  Cyborg grumbled something under his breath.  _Logical, yeah, that’s it. What’s logical about not taking one of your teammates to help you, when we barely have a clue about what will be on the other side on that portal? Why can’t I help save Raven? Heck, who’s to say she even needs to be saved? She can handle herself better than anyone._

“Hey, it’s not like I had a boat load of time to learn card games when I was a kid.” Robin countered.

“You still are a kid, most of the time at least.” Cyborg said, his voice hushed.

“Hey, lighten up a bit Cy, this ain’t like you, man.” Beast Boy interjected.

“What? Tell me I’m wrong.”

“Please stop this, friends. Especially during this hour. We must get along with each other. Now of all times.” Starfire pleaded.

The three boys said nothing for some time until the transporter, only a handful of feet away from them, let out a small spark of magenta colored energy. The spark, no longer than a man’s thumb, only lasted for a split second before it faded away. A few minutes later, another spark shot out from the rim of the ring shaped transporter, followed shortly by two, and three more. Then a short arc shot between the narrowest portion of the opening.

“Looks like it’s starting to happen. When do you think we should go through, Cy?”

“Not until the sparks settle, and those arcs become more lasting. That’s what I’d think at least. From what I can tell, Slade must be just warming his up. What’d Professor tell us again? A hour? Yeah, an hour I think. We got some time before we can go through.”

The group sat themselves back down again as Starfire dealt the next hand of cards.

“Hey guys, what’s wild this hand?”

“Count’yo cards, BB”

“Oh, these then?” He said as he pulled out two eights and a joker from his hand and showed him to Cyborg.

“Yeah, you won’t need ‘em though.” He said before discarding and knocking his fist against the ground –signaling that he was out.

“Aww, dude! How is that even possible?”

Cyborg flashed a smile as he waited for the others to take their last turn before he revealed his hand.

 

*0o

 

From the bridge of the flagship of the small fleet, the Admiral was satisfied that all of the ground forces were off his ship, and crowded onto the thin strip of land that the locals called a beach. He ordered the ship into full reverse, hoping to wrench his vessel free from the rocky bottom of the bay, and, once it was freed, the Admiral watched with pride as the next largest ship of the fleet steamed forward to offload its cargo. The new ship, an actual Troop Transport Vessel, and not a converted Siege Platform, had many times more soldiers held within it. _Along with the only fire bending platoon that we have._ The Admiral noted, beaming with pride for a second time.

On shore, the attackers had stopped for the time being, the officers there quickly realizing that attacking the same area, using their enemy’s own technique, wouldn’t weaken the line as much as they hoped. And thus, they had agreed to regress to an effective, yet brutal, tactic: a full frontal assault.

Within the boxed in area that the Kyoshians had chosen to make their battleground, only a few companies of Fire Nation soldiers remained intact. The soldiers awaited their orders, weighed down by the heavy armor, but vitalized by the cold air and the stench of blood that lingered in it.

Suki had known, beyond any doubt, that there were far more forces gathered on the shored awaiting their turn to attack the “pigs who have opposed their nation”, as one propaganda poster put it. But when she saw the flow of men push through the narrow channel into the field, her mouth went dry and her hands trembled ever-so-slightly. The sea of red painted iron had forced into way through the gate, throwing the companies already on the barren field out of their own ranks until they were lost among the growing crowd and organization was a thing of the past. With the mass of soldiers ever-increasing, the Kyoshians in the front rank of the phalanx could see yet another ship anchor itself just offshore, and begin to release rafts of men to the shore. The rafts, so full that they were at a great risk of capsizing, held the last of the soldiers that had come to invade their small island that day.  

Suki’s mind raced as she attempted to estimate how many soldiers there were.    _Well over a thousand, no doubt. More than fifteen hundred? Definitely possible. And even if we did try to escape now, were would be trapped on the island. Then it would be a matter of time before we were all killed, or worse – sent to their POW camps, or working in their weapons factories. No man or woman here would choose to make weapons for their enemy over dying in a fight for their homeland. And even if we wanted to get off the island, every cargo and merchant ship is packed with our loved ones and sailing away right now._

The sharp call from a bugle on the fleet’s flagship was something that every man on that field would remember, and many would be haunted by for years to come.

The bugle’s call ended abruptly, and what was otherwise dead silence turned into a chorus of war cries as the mass of soldiers charged the phalanx.

At first impact, the phalanx swayed back as the men were pushed from their feet and into the person behind them. With the horde of soldiers rushing at the Kyoshians, and many more filing in from the shore, there was no militiaman in the first four ranks that wasn’t in the fray. The healers in the back had become overwhelmed, and resorted to only taking to the back those who were wounded the worst, leaving those with relatively minor injuries to fend for themselves for the time being.

By the time that they were pushed back to within spitting distance of the back wall, behind which was the village, there was only a vague resemblance of order and organization among the Kyoshians. Although, to their credit, the Fire Nation lacked any at all. The sea of red and black armor could be compared to a riot under any other circumstances.

A man, one that would later take no credit for his actions, thrust his spear upward many times, as if cheering, trying to rally the militiamen.   “Re-form! Re-form!” He shouted above the din of clashing metal and cries of anger and pain. The villagers realized their state of disarray and began to work themselves back into their tightly packed rows. The front line closed their ranks even tighter to create a wall of bronze and a hedge of spears to face the scrambled mass –buying precious moments for the men in the back to reform and disperse themselves to the areas where the wall of men grew thin. This process was of the utmost necessity, as the constant actions of Raven and the water benders extracting the severely wounded had left small gaps in the ranks. In one area, where the gaps had especially widened, the formation was at great risk of buckling. With that concern brought to the militiamen’s attention, they needed no further guidance and filled in the gaps with haste –knowing that the longer they took, the more strain was put on the front line as they fought without the safety and comfort of having their fellow comrades behind them for support.

Each man in the back ranks placing his shield into the small of the back of the person in front of him. And, pushing with all of his weight and strength, the phalanx surged forward into the riot-like crowd of soldiers. The power of every farmer, merchant, and warrior, alike pushed against the front rank. Propelling them ahead with such force that the men had no time to attack with their spears. Instead, the Kyoshians in the front braced themselves against the bowls of their shields and prayed that a spear didn’t strike them from above. The phalanx came forward with such force that the enemy was no longer being stabbed with spears, or slashed at with short swords. Rather, they had become akin to the asphalt being crushed down and flattened by a steamroller. Those in the back ranks were now responsible for thrusting the butt-spikes on their spears into the men that they walked over, killing those who hadn’t been crushed to death already. As if they moved as a single being, the phalanx pulsated as the militiamen heaved and shoved their shields into the backs of them men in front of them. As the front rank adjusted to the rhythm of the heaving of the men behind them, they began to thrust down with their spears again. With the force of four hundred men pressing forward, the front line of the phalanx forced the enemy soldiers back into their own comrades. It was as if a wall was closing in on the soldiers; a breathing, killing, human and bronze wall. Only a short time after the mass frontal attack had begun, the soldiers on either side were not treading on the dry earth anymore. For the Kyoshians, they were advancing over a platform of fallen enemies. As for the Fire Nation soldiers, many of them retreated over their own comrades, clawing their way over each other or taking refuge behind the few who dared to stand and fight.

 

*0o

 

_This, it’s going well. That is, if you could a fight to the death “well”…_

Suki thrust her spear down into the chest of a soldiers in front of her. 

_I know the Fire Nation uses their new recruits for small attacks…_

The soldier’s helmet was knocked off to reveal his fair, round and bulbous, topped by his long black hair tied up into a topknot.    

_But spirits, he can’t be older than twenty. I’ll bet that this is his first mission, too._

Suki pulled back on the spear, but it was lodged between the man’s bones.    

 _This, this is a massacre. Damn those soldiers, and damn their commanders even more._ The young soldier fell and Suki saw the spear splinter and tear away from her grip.     _This didn’t have to happen. Surely these men didn’t have to lose their lives, and our villagers didn’t have to lose their innocence._

She stooped down and her hand found another wooden shaft lodged in another body. It made a sickening, hollow, sound when she wrenched it loose from his body and used it as her own.

_Wasn’t that why we, the Warriors, existed? Not only to protect the island, but to protect its residents and preserve their humanity?_

She ducked behind her shield as a throwing knife punched into it. Poking her head above the bronze rim, a spear was thrust past her face from behind her and plunged into a soldier before her. 

_Soon the benders will come out then. For all that this formation has done for us, I think it will be close to useless against them._

*0o

 

“Men, advance!” The senior officer called out to the two score of soldiers that he personally oversaw. The soldiers stepped out of their small landing craft, and onto the shore. The soldiers, which were the only fire benders participating in the invasion, also happened to the only platoon consisting of only veterans. The sea of red armor parted as the forty men filed off the small vessel and onto the shore. Once they made their way to the narrow channel that separated the beach and the battlefield, the senior officer created a fire whip and lashed it out against the mass of his own countrymen before him. He snapped the whip back just before it made contact with one of the Fire Nation soldiers who was in the initial attack. With his own soldiers following suit, they forced their own comrades forward and back into the fray that they were so desperately trying to escape from.

Suki frowned at seeing the long whips of fire raise above the enemy mass in the distance.   

_Of course they would force their own men back into the fight, into the killing fields._

She grimaced, unsure of whose favor the rest of the fighting that day would be in. Now, with the enemy soldiers on the front preoccupied by the activity behind them, Suki decided not to waste the momentary pause in the bloodshed.

 Knowing that the first four to five ranks were already nearing the point of exhaustion, Suki called out another order.

“Change!” Her shout accompanied by the pounding of her heavy shield against the cold steel of the sword that hung at her waist.

On that command, the front ranks lost their tightknit formation and allowed the back five ranks to surge forward. As the back ranks came forward, quickly moving in between their now exhausted peers, the men in the front ranks allowed themselves to relax –even if they knew it would be short lived. The men, completely spent from the constant fighting, allowing their shields to weigh them down and their bloodied spears to go slack. The thrusting and retracting of their spears, with the help of the heavy armor they wore, had worn them out; and, now that the adrenaline began to work its self out of the men’s bloodstream, more than a few of them collapsed to the ground in fatigue.

 _“War is work, and let nobody fool you into believing something else.” That’s what she always said…_  Suki’s mind wandered back to her own mentor, and the teachings that Suki now adopted as some of her own. Suki held onto her shield once the former sixth rank swept past her to take its place in the front. She knew that the carnage could continue at any second, and now with the fire benders making their presence known, the fighting would intensify greatly.   _Or, perhaps we will just get wiped out, annihilated._ Suki banished the thought from her mind. Even though she had her serious concerns about facing the fire benders, she knew that her fellow soldiers, her friends, even, were looking at her for the courage to continue. And even though she had her own doubts, expressing them would do nothing to help the situation. She put on a neutral expression, one that was almost calm, and pushed her spear upright into its proper position. _And now, I suppose, I have to encourage them to keep fighting._  Suki took a long look at the bodies she was standing on, now stacked two to three high. The ground no longer visible, being masked either by corpses or bloodstained snow that was permeated with the footprints of a thousand men.     _At least they served well today. Honestly, I don’t think I could have asked any better of them myself. Surely their families will hear of it too, how their husbands or fathers,_ she swallowed hard,   _or daughters, had fought bravely this day._

 

*0o

 

The fire benders in the rear of the enemy horde had “encouraged” the non-bending soldiers forward into the front line of the phalanx once again. The lull in combat, caused by the confusion of the novice soldiers as they fled into their own forces, had ended. The Kyoshians were attacked with a new ferocity held by their enemy, their battle cries had intensified along with the amount of injuries they inflicted upon the islanders.      

“ _Many things can drive courage, be it love for those you fight alongside, or fear for those that you fight for. Enough fear that you believe you are better off risking your life than standing up to them and refusing.”_   

Ko remembered her mentor’s teachings as a short sword sliced the thin sleeve of her warrior’s uniform.    

_“Of course, courage that is driven by love, by sisterhood, is what we strive to teach you. It is the most potent of them all, and often the most reliable.”_

_Then they’re being driven by fear._ Ko realized.    _Either the immediate fear of the fire benders behind them or of punishment if they retreat._

She saw the fire whips rise again from behind the non-bending soldiers, and felt pity for any person who had their own fear used against them in such a way. Ko, now leading the second rank back from the front line, felt the left flank of the phalanx lurch backward as a new wave of the enemy hit them with their full strength. She felt the cold metal of a shield pressing against her back, and she pushed hers into the woman in front of her, continuing to thrust her spear over the shoulder of said warrior. Even despite the force of over three hundred bodies bracing themselves for the next impact, the left flank was hammered back by the relentless onslaught of the fear-driven soldiers. Not long after the second wave of soldiers attacked the new ranks, the fire benders had worked their way to the front of the fray. Their senior officer, seeing the poor condition of the left flank, focused his small but battle hardened forces on that same area.

Ko floundered as a fire whip wrapped around her spear and pulled it away from her. Ko tried to pull back, but she was too late as the fire ate away at the dense wood that was the shaft of the spear. With the front tip of the spear now laying on the ground, she swung the back end over her and down into one of the benders. The butt-spike glanced off the shoulder plate of the bender, who shrugged off the blow before returning the favor with a small sphere of flames directed at the closest person. The sphere dispersed on a bronze shield. The senior officer, standing in the center of his specialized force, drew out the whip coiled at his side and slung it behind him, ready to use it. With a flick of his wrist, it shot forward and wrapped itself around Yumiko’s forearm –who was currently leading the front rank in the assault, with Ko directly behind her and Holly leading the third rank back.

The officer, after giving the whip a brief tug, grew a wicked, maniacal grin. A moment later the whip burst into flames. Yumiko’s scream was lost in the sounds of the battle. She lurched forward, pulled by the whip and the weight of her own armor dragging her down.  Ko leapt forward to block Yumiko from an incoming fire ball. Another soldier, grasping a short sword, wedged his way past Ko and unleashed on Holly.

Taken by surprise, the short sword came down onto Holly’s shoulder, carving deep into her before the soldier was pierced by no less than six spears from soldiers behind her and to her side. Holly dropped her shield to the ground, the weight of it too heavy to bear with the sudden pain. With her shield lowered, she became a prime target. A bender, wielding two short blades made of fire, emerged from behind the officer and rushed at her. He threw one of the blades at her, creating another to replace it immediately. She leapt to the side, letting it disperse against the shield of the Warrior behind her. As she dodged it, she saw him release another blade at her, this time an actual knife, which became embedded in the leather armor lines with steel strips.

Yumiko had regained her balance and stood back up, the cloth around her bracer had burnt away. Shock registered on her face when, just after she stood up, she felt another searing pain in her arm. She tried to see what damage had been done, and in doing so, caught the shimmer of light flashing off metal in her peripherals. Before it reached its target, the center of her chest, she saw the spear become encased in obsidian and crumble as if it was made from dust.    _Oh, thank the spirits for that girl._ Yumiko silently thought. Raven, who only moments before had saved her life, could be seen hovering a dozen feet above the heads of everyone else. Dark ropes of energy stretching down from her as she tried to both heal the injured and protect the Warriors in the front ranks.

 

*0o

 

“Be safe in there, and get her back in one piece.” Cyborg said as the other titans prepared to enter  the now fully formed portal. “You have a short time, five, six minutes at most, until Slade can use his. How long exactly I can’t say. And if Slade’s shuts down, I’ll signal you guys. From then, you have just less than ten minutes before our will start to fade.” Cyborg felt like he was running through the instructions again to calm his own nerves more than to inform the others –considering they had all heard it a half dozen times by now.

“Will do. Hopefully we won’t be that long anyway.” Robin confirmed as he finished rechecking his belt. The three of them lined up in front of the portal. “Are we good?” Robin asked.

“Safety checks say so. Ready to see if this baby really works?” Cyborg answered him.

“Dude. Not funny.” Beast Boy said to him right before he stepped through the portal, Robin having already entered and Starfire waiting behind him.

Cyborg gave a grunt as Beast Boy stepped into the portal and disappeared into the swirl of misty purple energy that the transporter framed.

“We shall see you again in the near future, friend Cyborg.” Starfire bade him farewell.

With that, Cyborg preoccupied himself with watching the instrument panel. The main screen showing two prisms that represented the dimensions, with a thin multi-colored tunnel linking the two. Just above the tunnel was another, much larger, one that also connected in-between the dimensions –Slade’s own portal to this new world. He stretched his neck and yawned before dealing out a game of solitaire on the ground in front of the machine.

 

*0o

 

“You sure about this?” Wisdom asked to Courage.

“Not one bit. But…it’s the only option, right? I mean, you know the numbers. And I know that they won’t last much longer with the left flank as it is. We don’t have a choice, do we?” Courage responded, not confident with about what she was about to let happen, and looking to Wisdom for validation.

“I’ll admit, it looks pretty grim if we don’t do something. Something more than healing, at least.”

“Alright, let her out then. But…just make sure Love is with her too.”

“Of course, that is the only reason we’re considering it, after all.” Wisdom said before disappearing into Rage’s domain. Courage cursed a few times before going into her own, not happy with the decision, but knowing it had to be done.

The first thing that Wisdom felt when she entered the domain was the heat. _Great Azar, it must be a hundred-and-fifteen degrees in here._   The second thing she noticed was Rage’s wicked grin.

“And what brings you here, dear?” Rage addressed her with a sick pleasure.

“You know why, we haven’t time to waste either.” Wisdom said, trying to not let the heat and distant scream distract her.

“You could at least amuse me for a time here. Why don’t you go fetch Courage to tell me why? Yes, I think I’d enjoy that very much.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. If we don’t act now, she’ll be in more danger than she is already.” Wisdom said, not appealing to Rage, but hoping Love was within ear-shot of them.

“Then shut the hell up and let’s go already!” A faint smirk appeared on Wisdom’s face as Love dashed towards them both, her exclamation causing Rage to squeeze her eyes shut in slight annoyance.

“And you best remember our agreement: nobody from Kyoshi gets hurt by your actions.” Wisdom added before Love reached them both.

“I gave you my word that I wouldn’t. If you believe in only one thing about me, believe in that.” Rage’s thoughts turned to more gruesome images. “But no other exceptions, right?”

“You know your limits. And listen to Love, at least she has a sense of morality.”

“I guess this can still be fun.” Rage mumbled as Love took her wrist and pulled on it until she stood up and followed Love out of the domain. Wisdom looked around one last time, taking note of every detail about the domain she could –considering that she wouldn’t mind never coming back.  _Hmm, I’m sure that’s new._ She thought, seeing a small additional gate off in the distance that linked directly from Rage’s domain to Love’s.

 

*0o

 

Raven, still levitating well above the ongoing battle, watched as the left flank came within seconds of collapsing to the fire bender’s continual assault. Only with Raven’s repeated intervention had none of the original Kyoshi Warriors become killed or mortally wounded.   _A shame I can’t do the same the same for the rest of the Kyoshians fighting, impossible to keep them all alive during this. Rage, are you ready?_  A pulling sensation in her chest answered for Rage, and Raven let go of the barriers that she had spent her childhood learning to create –even if it was for a short time.

Holly’s body shook as a wave of relief passed over her. She watched as Raven’s eyes went from their trademark violet to blood red. _Never a welcoming sight. That is, unless she’s protecting you._

 Raven, becoming possessed by the Rage had kept within herself for her whole lifetime, no longer appeared human. But nor did she look like the other times that Rage had taken control over her. This time, it had gone much further, her body now glowing –even if only dimly –with the runes of her shunned father. Her eyes had become endless pits into which one could gaze into, and practically hear the screams of the mortal souls who were damned enough to call that their home.

Raven, or perhaps Rage, extended her soul self out over the phalanx, until it reach the front line –where the fighting had stopped completely as every man and woman stared at her. The fire bender who had thrown the blade at Holly stepped back as Raven lowered herself in front of him. The four blood red eyes stared down on him for a long, terrifying moment. Raven bent down to his eye level to stare at him briefly before plunging an obsidian spike through his chest. For that one instant, not a soul on the entire battlefield made a sound. The silence broken by the clattering of metal as a soldier brandished his weapon at her –either out of foolishness, or out of fear of being killed as his comrades just stood there in shock. The man was on his knees before he advanced another step. He clutched his wrist, the rest of his hand no longer present, in a state of disbelief. A second later the pain hit him, and hit him hard. Raven watched in amusement, her possessed form still towering over everybody around her, as the grown man writhed in pain on the ground. Another obsidian spike shot up through his ankle, and stayed there anchoring him to the ground on which he laid on.

“Don’t play with him like that, he doesn’t deserve it.” A quiet voice came from the phalanx.

Raven twisted her head around until she laid her eyed on Holly, the speaker. Turning back to the soldier, she ended his life before he could let out another long, primal scream.

Several officers from the back of the crowd yelled out, attempting to rally their troops. “Get the witch!” One called to his men. “Kill her, hold nothing back!” Another one shouted. Jeers were elicited from the mass of soldiers surrounding them. A dozen soldiers were rallied enough to attempt to push forward again, but it was short lived at best.

“Who said that? Which one of you dare defile my name to the likelihood of a witch?” Raven grew as she spoke, staring at every one of the soldiers who had pushed forward to attack her individually. “I am a sorceress, I am an Azarathian, I am a demon, and I hail from Earth. I will not be degraded to that of a witch. Now reveal yourself, so I can send you to a special hell.” Raven scooped up a soldier and brought him to eye level, before discarding him and grabbing hold of another.

“Very well,” she continued, becoming impatient, “then I shall kill all of you.”

 

*0o

 

 


	17. Another State Of Mind

*0o

 

A shriek pierced the crisp winter air and reached the three titans after echoing off the nearby mountains.

“Friends, that scream. It is familiar.” Starfire said, her voice filled with concern as she floated a few inches above the ground.

“How so?” Robin asked, peering into the small shrine that they had exited the portal next to. After seeing nothing pertaining to Raven, he looked down at the polished stones that were set in perfectly straight rows of nine.  _Did we really end up in a cemetery?_

“Yes. I became acquainted with it when I was on the prisoner ship of the Gordanians. The scream of a man in vast amounts of pain.”

Robin stopped gazing at the cemetery when he heard what Starfire had said. He listened to the still air until another scream filled it.  _Oh lord, yes, I can hear the pain in it too. I know I said we would get Raven and get out…but to leave a man suffering? That would be inhumane, wouldn’t it?_

“Let’s go. We have to help.” The trio set off without any argument. Working their way down the beaten path that lead down the small hill and toward the island’s main village.

 

*0o

 

The Admiral stood on the deck on his ship, grasping a pair of binoculars in one of his gloves hands and holding his other above his head, signaling to the men on deck to hold their fire.   _Kill the witch. That is the purpose of this. To kill her, we must draw her out into the open. Now that that is done, we must end her and leave no doubts about her fate._ He glanced back at the dozens of archers gathered on deck behind him.    _And if this fails, and if she doesn’t die in the battle, then we must take the island and find her._ The Admiral lowered his hand. “Load your weapons!” His assistant called out to the archers.

 

*0o

 

Robin ran into the center of the town, looking around wildly for where the scream came from. Beast Boy and Starfire caught up to him, stopping at his side.

“This village, it appears to be abandoned.” Starfire noted as she flew to a house and looked inside.

“I don’t think it’s abandoned.” Beast Boy sniffed for a few seconds. “Uh, Robin? I smell blood. Like, a lot of it, too.”

“Can you locate it?”

Beast Boy turned around to face the large statue of Kyoshi, its faded paint and a few minor cracks in the wood showed how aged it was, as he sniffed around for the source.

“Um, friend Robin, there appears to be a wall…” Starfire was looking around the statue and at the entrance of the village, where the wall erected by the earth benders stood. She glanced back towards Robin to see him missing. “Where did friend Robin go?” Beast Boy pointed over to a row of buildings. In front of which, Robin was sprinting towards to wall that separated the village and the battle that none of the three titans knew was raging. Robin launched himself onto the roof of a small shop, and from there, jumped onto the wall, his fingers grasping the edge as his body thudded against the earthen mass. Pulling himself the rest of the way up, he saw with horror the situation that was unfolding a dozen feet below. He began to run along the top of the wall, time too precious to wait for his friends, and towards the four eyed demon that he knew was once his teammate.

Beast Boy and Starfire shared a glance.   _What did he see to make him take off like that?_  They both were thinking. Without more than a moment’s hesitation, they took off after their leader.

 

*0o

 

Eight of the twelve soldier who tried to attack the demon were scattered on the ground, either bleeding out or already dead. Raven grasped a fire bender around his neck with a black tendril and began tightening her hold on him. The man, roughly thirty years old by Raven’s own estimate, blasted a cone of fire at her four crimson eyes. The eyes disappeared for a moment, before opening up a foot below where he attacked her. “Foolish humans. You think you can harm me in this state. Your attack, it was amusing at best.” She tightened her snake like appendage around his neck until she heard a soft crunching sound and saw his eyes roll back. She tossed him on the ground and prepared to shoot another tendril at the senior officer, who now stood slack-jawed as he watched the demon halfling demolish what remained of his squadron.

Robin leapt off the wall and landed on one of the few spots that was still bare earth, and not littered with bodies –or more accurately, parts of bodies. He ran towards Raven and threw himself between his once teammate and the stranger that she was about to kill.

“Raven, we’re here now. You don’t want to do this.” He stared into the four slits that were her eyes.  _Am I still talking to Raven? Could she even change back if she wanted to? If not…_  His thoughts briefly went to the neurotoxins that he kept as a last resort weapon. _Would those be even enough to stop her? For some reason, I doubt it…_

Raven stood staring at him silence for a long few seconds. “Before I came to this dimension I thought that you knew me best. I see I was wrong, because I do want this, very much so.” She contorted her head downward until she was at his eye level as she spoke.

“Raven, we don’t kill. You help people, we help people, we don’t hurt them.” He stated, his voice steady and calm, but he knew that it was a façade, because inside, he was terrified.

“I do not have to answer to you concerning my actions, nor must I have to justify them to you. Now remove yourself from this battlefield.” Her voice becoming threatening as she spoke slowly and clearly to him.

 _Battlefield? This isn’t a…Oh, oh dear._ He thought, glancing behind Raven to see the bronze shields and steel spears that the warriors held, their own faces spattered in the blood of the fallen. _I had been so focused on Raven’s form, I didn’t register that it was a battle and not…and, well, and not her simply killing._

“Be gone!” Raven screeched as she lashed out at the ground in front of her leader, throwing the teenager up into the air as the earth below him was uplifted. Starfire, just reaching the wall, saw their leader trying to right himself as he flew through the air. She flew towards him and grasped his arms just before he started to descend.

 

*0o

 

The Admiral watched in horror as he saw a person fly from the top of the wall and catch another, strangely dressed, person.   _Could it be? Another witch? If this one’s just as powerful as the other, the invasion might as well be for naught. Perhaps we can still save the souls of those remaining on the third ship. I don’t think they offloaded most of their soldiers yet…_

“Take aim, release!” He heard his assistant shout to the archers, and in unison, fifty arrows cut through the air heading towards Raven. The archers immediately started to reload their weapons and prepare for another barrage.

The Admiral left the deck in a hurry and barreled down the ship’s corridors until he reached his personal cabin. Swinging open the watertight hatch, he nearly tripped going inside but recovered himself and began shuffling through the letters scattered on the desk.

 _Where is it, that letter? No, not that. Nor this one._ His thoughts racing as he pushed aside different papers that he didn’t need. _Ah! Thank goodness._ He held up a short note from one of his friends –a former captain in the Fire Nation Army who rose to the rank of commander after joining the Navy.

 

_Dearest friend,_

_I have reviewed the incident reports from the minor landing on Kyoshi Island. And while the reports were concerning, I do believe that the forces that you were assigned would be adequate for your task. However, in light of our lack of knowledge on this alleged “witch”, and your reputation, I will divert one of my ships to the furthest reaching area of our patrol zone; approximately a fifteen minute sail if at flank speed. I trust you not to endanger my men unless it is absolutely necessary, and the fate of your mission is hinged upon it. The captain of the ship has been informed of the situation, and has no qualms leaving his current patrol boundaries in order to assist you._

_With great respect,_

_Commander Chan._

The Admiral read over the letter in his mind again, noting that his friend had left it unsigned in case of prying eyes opening the letter without his knowledge.

He let out a sigh of relief, and started for the room that housed the ship’s messenger hawks.

 

*0o

 

“Hey,” Love said as she leaned over Rage’s shoulder, “put a shield up around Robin and Star.”

“The hell I will, he just tried to lecture me about killing and shit!” She spat at her counterpart.

Love gave Rage a hard slap on the back of her head. “And they just spent months trying to get us back to Earth. Shield. Now.”

“Bitch.” She mumbled back, defeated.

 

*0o

 

 Robin heard a shout from below where he and Starfire floated above the two armies. “High port.” He heard a woman shout again, and a moment later every shield in the Kyoshian formation was raised above their heads. Robin understood why a minute later, when three bodies were encased in obsidian energy and levitated in front of Starfire and him. Robin heard the sound of the arrows ripping through the air a moment later. The projectiles showered down onto both armies indiscriminately, sticking into the shields of the Kyoshians and the lightly armored soldiers of the Fire Nation.

The barrage halted for a brief second as the archers reloaded, and it resumed with even greater ferocity. The archers had adjusted their aim slightly, and more arrows were stabbing into the bronze shields, embedding into the human shields that Raven had put up, or bouncing off the obsidian semi-dome that protected both Raven and the Kyoshi Warriors in the upper ranks.

 _Spirits,_  Suki thought, her shield held above her head even though no arrows were likely to land that far back,   _It’s impossible to be very accurate from their ship –they must be hitting their own men just as much._

 

*0o

 

“Bodies? You shield them with freaking _bodies_?” Love was shaking in frustration. “Those are our _friends._ And what will Mr. “I abhor killing because it makes me like Batman” going to say about that? What will he say when he knows that we killed those guys too?”

“Damn, you’re annoying. You really think that the team would just accept us after I nearly killed a guy, and then told Robin that I _wanted_ to? Calm down already, our best case scenario going back to the tower is being allowed to pack our things before we get booted out.” Rage let out.

Love just looked at her, eyes wide and hands trembling. “You…you think that’s…but…no, you can’t think like that! You just can’t! We might have to leave the team, sure, but they’ll understand, won’t they?”

“You mean that they’ll understand why Raven willingly let me take control over her and essentially told me: “Do what you want, just listen to this manifestation of my feelings for a human pin cushion who happened to kidnap me off of a road, nearly get me killed a few times, screwed around with my emotions, and then involved us in a war. Not to mention, she made us wear a bloody _dress_ at one point. Yeah, they’ll totally understand why Raven did that.”

Love sat down on the rock floor, her own legs unable to support her any longer. She sat wide eyed for a moment, trying to contemplate what her former teammates might do.

Rage rolled her eyes slightly and pulled Love back up. “Fine, that _might_ have been a _touch_ harsh. She is _our_ pin cushion, after all.”  Rage thought for a moment.  “Although, my point still stands. Not a chance that we’re going to be on good terms with Robin when we get back.”

“What about the others? Starfire and Cyborg? And Beast Boy? Well, I’m not sure about Beast Boy…”

“Hell if I know. But can we get back to having fun now? Our pin cushion might need us-”

“Don’t call her that.” Love said, getting back in the mood to make an argument.

“We aren’t debating this now. So can I kill this bastard with an axe?”

“They use axes in their military? No wonder they’re losing. Yeah, go ahead.” Love plopped herself down on a rock a few feet from Rage and watched idly as the man’s axe was, quite literally, shoved down his throat.

“Do you have to be so… _creative_ , in killing them?”

Rage gave an insane grin as she turned around. “Of course, otherwise it wouldn’t be fun.”

_She’s more sadistic than I thought…_

*0o

 

 

The bodies still shielded Robin and Starfire blocked out the sight of Raven impaling the man with his own axe, and tearing another limb from limb. Beast Boy, who was still gaping as the sight of two armies clashing before his eyes, finally took action and morphed into a Golden Eagle, heading for the ship that the archers were firing from. Reaching the ship in less than a minute, he transformed into a gorilla and began swatting away the bows from the soldiers before they could fire –be it at him or at his friends. He swept aside one man who had turned to fire at him, and snapped the bow of a few others, before he felt the prick of pain in his back. He knocked down a dozen men before having enough time to reach behind him and pluck the arrow from his thickened skin.   _That’s going to leave a bit of a mark…No!_  He saw one of the men get knocked overboard when other archers were swept into him by Beast Boy.  _Oh, come-on._   He morphed into dolphin as he jumped into the water to make sure that the man didn’t drown from the weight of his own armor.

Back on shore, the volleys of arrows had finally come to an end. Raven dropped the bodies out of the air, each of them filled with thin arrow shafts protruding outward. Robin looked down and grimaced at the sight of what could have been him and Starfire.   _I’m thankful, but she could have done it in a much less…grotesque way…_   Robin motioned for Starfire to lower him back down.

“Raven, control yourself. We have to get you back to the tower before you do something you regret.” Robin yelled, just loud enough for Raven to hear over the resumed fighting between the two armies in the center and right portions of the phalanx.

“Regret? I regret nothing. And I shall stay until this is over or until I cannot stand on my own feet.” The demonic form of Raven hissed at her former leader before turning to participate in the slaughter of the Fire Nation.

 _I hate to do this._  Robin thumbed the neurotoxins at his belt once more.  _But she must come back before Slade comes. After that, there’s no telling how easily we can get back to the portal while keeping her safe. And with her mental state now –I have little choice…_   

“Please, Raven. We must go.” He yelled, already knowing her answer.

“You…you impudent fool!” Raven lashed out with her powers at his feet, causing him to leap back a few feet. “I made my intentions clear to you. If you decide not to respect them, then it is your own downfall.” She spat out in anger.

Robin flicked open the cap on the toxins’ case to reveal a thin needle. Pressing a button on the side of the case, and twisting it in Raven’s direction, he released the stoppers on the spring mechanism and launched a dart at Raven. Seeing no immediate effect, he pushed the button again and released the second dart, and then the third.

Finally feeling the effect of the darts’ chemicals slowly work their way into her system, Raven felt numb at first, and then she felt heavier before collapsing onto the ground, her human half of her body betraying her.

 _Thank god that was enough to stop her, for a moment there, I didn’t think three times the dosage would have done it. Soon she should revert back to her normal form._ Robin thought before he heard a desperate scream, unlike the battle cries of those fighting.

Holly launched herself forward, practically running over Yumiko and pushing Ko to the side. She registered, but didn’t pay heed to, the yelling of the Fire Nation army as they resumed their attack on the left flank with even more ferocity than before now that their main obstacle was laying on the ground. She drew her sword for the first time that day and ran at the newcomer, throwing all caution to the wind. Robin quickly drew his staff, but didn’t need to put it to use. Three green star-bolts struck Holly’s ankle in succession, causing her to pitch forward into the ground as her momentum drove her already wounded shoulder deep into the cold dirt. She faintly heard a woman proclaim: “You shall do no harm to my friends so long as I can till fight.” She withheld her instinct to draw and throw her fans at the teenage boy while he still stood there, for fear of hitting Raven. Instead, she pulled herself up and tried to lash out at him with her katana. Before she could raise her own weapon, she was plowed down by a Fire Nation soldier who was at least twice her mass. She cried out in pain as the soldier stomped on her already damaged ankle as he charged past her and at the phalanx.

Robin waved for Starfire to pick up Raven’s slack body and flee while he waited for Beast Boy to return from the ship. The changeling came only a moment later, just in time to see Raven’s four blood red eyes revert back to her normal violet. He transformed midflight into another, larger, bird and grasped Robin’s arms with his talons. The four flew away from the battle immediately, but not fast enough for Raven to miss the sight of Holly being trampled by the soldiers as they forced their way forward to face the phalanx. She knot grew in her stomach as she became witness to her lover being just another body that would be used as a footing for the soldiers to fight on top of.

 

*0o

 

There was no place in Nevermore that Love’s screams couldn’t be heard. Her agony could be felt by every emotion present, and her sorrow was reciprocated by all of them.

Rage stepped down from her position of power, be it because of the neurotoxins or because of what they all just witnessed, nobody will likely know. Happy was downcast and Timid was shaking, huddled in a fetal position. Rude was silent and Wisdom simply looked away.  _Soon, how long I can’t say, but definitely soon, Rage will be back in full force over this. And rightfully so. She’ll be unstoppable when that comes, not that any of us would even try to now._ Wisdom shook her head and poorly attempted to comfort Love before giving up. Never once did her screaming cease, although it was intertwined by sobs  several times.

 

*0o

 

 _That girl who was on the ground, who was she?_  Beast Boy thought as he flew through the air.    _I don’t think she was…well…dead, not when we left her at least. But she was down, I doubt she could’ve moved in time to avoid those soldiers…_    Beast Boy looked from Robin, who was still clutched in his talons, back to the ship that he was just attacking the archers on.   _It would be hypocritical to save that one guy, and then leave her, wouldn’t it? I mean, I don’t think she would have rushed out at us if Robin didn’t do that to Raven…Maybe she was Raven’s friend?...I mean, it is a different dimension, so I guess she could’ve made a friend. Hmm, Raven would never forgive us if we didn’t help her friend…_

Beast Boy slowed down slightly and lowered himself until Robin was inches above the ground.

“Stop messing around, Beast Boy, just get us back to the portal.” Robin yelled up, but the wind rushing past the changeling’s ears drowned out the noise.

Beast Boy slowed down again for a brief moment, released Robin, and picked his speed back up before turning around and heading towards the battle. Below him, Robin shook his head and motioned for Starfire to continue on her way to the portal, as he began running there on foot.

 _“If possible, you can’t leave the portal unattended. It would be…well, quite interesting, if an unsuspecting person gets stuck in this dimension.”_  Robin remembered the Professor telling him, just days before he betrayed them.   _It’s as if he knew he was going to turn, but didn’t want us completely in the dark…_

The trio, Robin, Starfire, and the now unconscious Raven, reached the portal a few minutes later. Starfire went through the vortex with Raven in hand, never once slowing down until she made it past Cyborg, waiting on the other side, and into the tower’s med bay. While Robin, on the other hand, stood guard at the portal entrance, waiting for Beast Boy to return.

 

*0o


	18. Broken Bodies

*0o

.

Beast Boy circled the battlefield as a hawk once before spotting the fallen Warrior. Swooping down, he startled to soldiers in both armies that they stopped fighting in his immediate vicinity, at least for a few seconds until they collected their thoughts. Thankfully, a few seconds was enough time for the changeling to push away the person standing on top of her and pick up the wounded woman as gingerly as possible before bee lining it to the portal where Robin stood waiting. Even despite his caution, he felt one of his talons press slightly deeper in her side than it should have.  _Whew, she looks terrible. A broken rib it seems, maybe more than one. A messed up ankle and a gash in her shoulder. Not to mention that knife sticking out. It doesn’t look like it went through the leather, but you never know…_

Robin sighed in relief as he saw Beast Boy approaching. He decided against questioning his teammate about who he was carrying until after they got back to their own world. _Whoever it is, I’m sure he has a good reason._ Beast Boy flew right past him and head on into the vortex, going so fast that once he passed through the portal, he nearly hit the far wall of the warehouse before he could stop. Robin sighed and entered to portal back to Earth, relieved to have his friend back and safe, but concerned about what he had seen her do that day.  _She killed those men. She didn’t have to, but she did. Surely she could have found a way around it, could have just disarmed them, or rendered them unconscious, right? But still, there’s no saying that she wouldn’t have done that if she was in the right state of mind. I knew we took too long, her being in this foreign world for so long must’ve driven her to insanity. Enough that she would transform into a demon like that. A good thing we got there when we did, who knows how much damage she could have done. How many more people she could have taken the lives of…it would be unforgivable, it is unforgivable. Even though it could have been much worse, what she did was inexcusable…demon form or not._

.

*0o

.

“What the…?” Raven came to her senses and looked up at Starfire, who was carrying her to the tower. “Star, put me down, I can fly on my own.”

“Friend Raven! But how are you awake so soon?” Starfire stopped in midair, releasing Raven from her grasp and letting her stand on an obsidian disk.

“Whatever he used on me wasn’t enough.” She felt around her side, and found the three small bumps where the needles had stuck into her before falling out.  _Neurotoxins? That bastard!_

“Oh, how joyful I am to see you once more!” Star captured her in a tight hug for nearly a full minute.

 Raven, released from the embrace, saw the T-car screeching down the road towards the tower.  _Robin must have sent him back to the tower to set up the med bay for me…_

 _What the…?_  She thought, seeing Beast Boy burst out of the roof of the now distant warehouse. _What is he carrying?...is that?...It can’t be…Oh, thank Azar and the spirits as well._ She stared in both disbelief and cautious joy as Holly’s battered form flew past her and towards the imposing T-shaped tower. Her lover’s form hanging limp and dripping blood to the ground below as Beast Boy carried her past.

_I owe my life to him for doing that._

.

*0o

.

“Why the hell did you let her hug us?” Rage hissed at Love, who stood there looking away sheepishly.

“I…I didn’t know what to do. I mean, she attacked Holly, but she _is_ still our friend, right? Star would never hurt us…But she did, indirectly. I just don’t know what to make of it.”

“Friend?” Rage scoffed, “that’s the past! There’s no going back to that. She attacked Holly, she’s not our friend anymore. You of all people should realize that!”

“But…you can’t just break off our friendship with Star like that. Her and the other Titans put their trust is us when nobody else did.”

“That was years ago, when we were all too naïve to know any better. And did you not just see what Robin did to us? He betrayed us, they all have, plain and simple.” Rage spat at her, fuming in anger and frustration at Love’s inability to grasp the situation.

“Not quite.” Wisdom said, getting up from her seat and joining the argument. “He subdued us when he thought that we were out of control. A legitimate assumption based off _your_ history, Rage, and being unaware of Love’s effect on you. Or even her presence, for that matter.”

“Then assumptions will be his downfall.” Rage threatened their old leader.

“What do you think you can do about it, Rage?  Are you going to kill him?” Wisdom demanded from her red cloaked clone. “That would only serve to justify his reasoning behind sticking those darts in us in the first place. Furthermore, anything you do to him, be it a threat or worse, would turn the entire team against us. Love is right, they’re our _friends_. They were months ago and they still are now; and they will be until we give them reason not to. They’re going to look for a reason that Raven was in that state, but they’ll convince themselves that it was a freak occurrence. Heck, we could just say that staying in her normal form would have killed her because she was trapped in between two armies.”

“No.” Love spoke up. “We aren’t saying that the Kyoshians were going to hurt us. That…I mean, it would probably work, yes, but we can’t just turn on them after months of sheltering us. And think what they would do to Holly, a Kyoshian, if they thought that she was trying to hurt me.” Love’s point quickly shut up the other two emotions present.

“So if I can’t kill him, what do you want me to do?” Raged asked Wisdom

“Behave. If they think that Raven lost control of her emotions, we’ll be considered a threat to the city. Then we’d be done for.”

“Fine, but if he steps too far out of line –”

“If he steps out of line, you’ll do absolutely nothing.” Wisdom cut Rage off. “We can’t risk that. Think of the future, Holly is injured, badly, and she won’t be leaving this world any time soon; and once she has recovered, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that she might stay. Not only that, but Holly and I are the closest thing to a family that Rena has left. To leave her back on Kyoshi without Holly would be insane –and it would our best option if the Titans think that Raven finally lost it.”

“Wait, you think we could be part of a family?” Love asked, her voice filled with hope. “I never thought that would happen…not with being…well, demonic” She nervously glanced at Rage.

“I’ve come to terms with myself. No worries.” Rage said as she shrugged. Love released a breath that she didn’t know she was holding.

“You aren’t mad about that accusation?” Wisdom asked Rage incredulously.   _Perhaps Love rubbed off on him more than I expected._

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not happy about it. But I can’t deny it. And yes, I’ll ‘behave’, but only as long as Holly is safe. If they look at her the wrong way, I’ll blind them.”

“Fair enough.” Wisdom said, also giving her shoulders a slight shrug.

“Now what about Rena?” Love turned to Wisdom and asked.

 “That…may prove to be an issue. Should we go back to Kyoshi right now, Robin would probably haul us off to an asylum when we get back. There’s also the concern of Slade. Cyborg mentioned that he was involved when the Professor betrayed them; however, his intentions are unknown to us.”

“Well, whatcha’ think we should do?” Courage walked up to the trio, but actively avoided eye contact with Rage.

“Umm,” Love broke the silence between them, “could we at least go back and check on Holly? I mean, we can get Rena afterwards, besides, she’s probably more capable than us at fighting –at least without our powers. And the other warriors are with her. I think she’ll be fine for now at least.”

“I’ll second that. Some time for me to think would be of value too.” Wisdom spoke up. Follow by a nod from Courage and silence, but no protest, from Rage.

.

*0o

.

A black pool of energy formed in the floor of the hallway just outside of the medical bay. Raven raised herself up through the floor and stepped out onto the cold steel ground.

“Rae!” Raven heard Beast Boy shout out in excitement, causing Raven to instinctively tense up. And thankfully so –for had she not, Beast Boy’s flying tackle, that ended in a tight hug, would have easily knocked her to the floor.

“Whoa, Rae. When’d you get ripped?” He said after he released her, and started to gently poke around Raven’s stomach and arms, which had become toned thanks to Holly’s relentless training with her and Rena over the past weeks.

“Why Raven, you’ve been missing for three months and you’re finally back. I am so glad that you aren’t dead.” Raven mocked while imitating Beast Boy’s voice, and then in her own voice she responded: “Why thank you Beast Boy, I appreciate your concern. And while I would love that chat with you, I have to go make sure my inamorata isn’t dying.”

“Oh, uh, well I am glad to see you’re back…” he said, looking away in slight embarrassment.  “Wait, does that mean you knew that person?”

“Yes, that’s one way of putting it.”

“But it looked like she tried to attack–” Beast Boy started, but was cut short.

“It was a misunderstanding.” She responded curtly before entering the medical bay, where she saw the hunched back of Cyborg as he leaned over Holly’s unconscious body.

The Medical bay of the tower was strikingly similar to an operating room in any major hospital. The walls, all covered in white tiles, were illuminated by three powerful lights that all shined on the center of the room, reflecting brilliantly off the polished metal table. Lining the far wall was a row of cabinets; fully stocked with the newest hospital-grade instruments and bottles of saline, along with rolls of surgical tape and gauze in an assortment of sizes. Along the wall were the same machines that the Jump City Municipal Hospital used on a daily basis, and up kept just as often.

 _“This room is as well-equipped as any hospital on the west coast. Capable from handling a paper cut to organ failure to missing limbs.”_ Raven remembered Cyborg telling Robin when they first moved into the tower.   _“Uh, Cyborg, do you really think we will need all of this? I mean, I’ve lived by ‘prepare for the worst, hope for the best’ for most of my life, but this seems a just little excessive. I didn’t think that ‘missing limbs’ is something that we were going to have to deal with.” Robin bit his lip as he thought about what situations might lead to that extreme. “Hey, don’t worry about it too much. Besides, most of the prosthetics you see are for myself, and I don’t think we’ll need this room very often either.” Cyborg gave Robin a reassuring smile as one of the city workers bolted down the stainless steel operating table, the last piece of equipment to enter that room before the tower would be operational._

.

*0o

.

Cyborg grasped around for a pair of trauma shears on the small tray beside him, silently muttering about the armor getting in the way. Raven, approaching from behind him, reached over and handed him the durable, oversized scissors.

“Thanks Raven. Good to see you back.” He said, taking the shears from Raven and snipping through the leather straps and silk cloth that obscured Holly’s shoulder wound. Carefully pulling away the cloth and tucking it to the side to reveal the wound and the rest of the woman’s shoulder.

“Raven, see if you can stop the bleeding on her shoulder.” He said before he moved aside to let her through, and then stepped to the other end of the table to start cutting the thick boot off of her damaged foot.

Raven coated her hands in black energy, only to have her concentration break and the energy vanish when the door burst open and Kid Flash came in. “Cy, man, got the pillows you needed. Welcome back Raven.”

“Put one under her shoulder, I’ll take the other.” Cyborg said, concentrating on getting the boot off without disturbing her ankle too much. In an instant, one pillow was propping up Holly’s shoulder wound and the other Cyborg positioned under her foot, just above where it was crushed. Raven encased her hands again in her soul-self and started to ebb the flow of blood out of the body as best she could. An obsidian hand reached out from her and opened one of the cabinets lining the wall. Extracting a pad of gauze, Raven brought it to her hand and began pressing down on the wound as she began to heal it from the inside.

Raven looked up in surprise when she heard Cyborg nearly curse, but stop himself halfway. He looked up at his teammate with a pained look in his eye. He didn’t have to tell Raven what to do.It was easy enough for her to deduce from the X-ray machine that was already powered up, and him holding the shears, about to cut away the last of the boot.  A half dozen transparent black straps emerged from beneath the table and wrapped themselves around various parts of Holly, in attempt to keep her still during the next few seconds.

When Cyborg cut away the last of the boot, the only part that was still constricting around Holly’s ankle, the bones within the boot shifted at the release of pressure and Holly let out a great roar of pain, straining herself against the bindings as she was forced back into consciousness.

“What the hell was that for?” Holly mumbled, breathing heavily from the jolt of pain that was taking far too long to subside that she would have liked.

“Take a look.” Cyborg said, wheeling a monitor over to Raven so she could position it for Holly to see, and fitting the X-ray machine over the damaged foot and ankle.

“Hey pretty.” Holly slurred to Raven before slipping back into unconsciousness, just before Cyborg could show her the X-ray that was taken.

“She’s out again, isn’t she?” He asked, looking up from the X-ray machine.

Raven nodded.

“Whew, man, I’ve thought the pain alone would have kept her conscious.”

“She has a tolerance for it, I suppose.” Raven answered, glancing away from him.  _Quite a tolerance._

“How well do you know this person?” He asked, focusing back on the issue at hand.

“She’s one of the first people I met when I went into her world. So reasonably well, I would say.” _Should I even tell him them about us: Holly and me? Even if I do, when? Surely not until after this is all over…_

“Alright. Being that she can’t make a decision for herself, I going to have to ask you to give the go-ahead for this. I mean, normally I would do what it takes, but neither option is pretty, and I really want a second opinion on this.” He reached over and picked up the x-ray again.

“Her ankle and foot took quite the beating. To be honest, I don’t know if she’ll be able to walk properly again.” He started, causing a pit to form in Raven’s stomach. “Nearly every bone is crushed…” He reached over and took a sheet of paper as it printed out of another machine. “As I thought, some nerve damage, her ligaments are a mess in themselves. Some of them will probably have to be removed, depending. On how we go about this. Now, I don’t know how this happened to her, but I do know that she’ll be feeling the pain from it for the rest of her life, heck, I’m not completely sure that she’ll be able to walk again on it.”

“So what decision do I have to make?” Raven asked, her face becoming pallid as Cyborg listed off injuries that she felt she could have stopped from happening.

“We fix it. Piece the bones together as best we can and let them heal, the old fashion way. The ligaments will take some time to heal, even if we help them along a bit. And, well, there isn’t much we can do for the nerves. A good chance she won’t feel some or all of her foot after this…and there’s also a chance that it’s worse than we can tell. We wouldn’t know if she could even move her foot until after everything else heals. And the chance that the nerve damage is more extensive is…well, substantial. To say the least.” He fell silent for a moment, before clearing his throat and continuing once he regained some of his composure. “Or, we could replace it. Use some of the same tech that I have. At least that way she should be able to live her life normally with it. Of course, it would take some time for her to get used to, but at least it’s her ankle that’s damaged –not too obvious if we have to resort to prosthetics. And it can be covered up easily in public, a good thing until she becomes comfortable with it. Now, my personal opinion aside, she has the best chances of walking out of here on her own feet if we do this. But if we do, we would have to act real soon.” He looked to the floor. “Raven, I know this isn’t ideal, but you’re the closest thing to a legal surrogate to her that’s available. You have to make this decision for her, now. We can’t afford to wait.”

 _Azar, I hope she doesn’t hate me for this._ Raven moved her lips to answer, but her voice failed her. She tried again, but only managed to let out a small squeak. “Replace it.” She finally got out.

Cyborg gave a nod and left the room. Pressing her ear to the cold steel wall, she could hear her friend on the other side dial a phone number into his communicator, and the following one-sided conversation.

“Dr. Harrison?...Yes, yes this is Cyborg. Yes, I’m doing well, but–…no, my parts are working well...We have an emergency. The ankle…no, not mine. No, the tower has everything you need. Alright, I’ll be there as fast as I can. Yes, I have room for your assistant too, and Dr. Kajimoto.” Raven heard the audible click as the communicator shut off. Cyborg’s heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway as he stepped back into the room.

“Raven, has the bleeding stopped on her shoulder?”

She gave a weak nod.

“Good, why don’t you go in the common room? I’ll get Robin to keep an eye on her vitals until I get back. Don’t worry, she’ll make it. Some good doctors are coming here to fix her up. Same ones that got me back and running all those years ago, she’s in good hands.” He said from the doorway, giving his metal chest a few taps at the last part. He waited until Raven slowly made her way out of the room before calling Robin down to the med bay. Once he finished the short call, he began running towards the garage and the still warm T-car.

.

*0o

.

Several blocks away, two surgeons left their office and gathered whatever odds and ends that they thought might be helpful. Dr. Harrison left his office, carrying a small briefcase, and took the stairs down from the third floor of the hospital. The surgeon had a longer face, topped with short, but thick and curly dark brown hair; while Dr. Kajimoto had an oval shaped face with lower cheekbones, and a frock of thinning black hair. Dr. Kajimoto, a native of Kobe, Japan, had come to the west coast at the request of the S.T.A.R labs executive in order to operate on Cyborg. And had since taken up the executive’s offer to move his family to the States, under the condition that he collaborate with their Research and Development on a project or two each year.

The two men nearly collided as Harrison barreled out of the staircase and Kajimoto stepped out from the elevator, just ending his phone conversation with his son that Cyborg had briefly interrupted. They both dashed outside and into the waiting T-car before it sped off, leaving skid marks on the concrete pad in front of the city’s hospital.

.

*0o

.

“Where are you guys going?” Raven asked as she stepped out of the elevator and into the common room, seeing Starfire and Beast Boy checked over their communicators one last time before leaving the tower.

“Now that you are safe, Friend Robin has finally given us permission to stop Slade and his dastardly plans.” Starfire cheerfully replied.

“He was holding off on account of me?” Raven’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Yeah, he wouldn’t let us do anything until you were back.” Beast Boy answered her, before morphing into an eagle and taking off out of a small, opened window on the far side of the room; Starfire following him closely behind.

“Oh.” Raven said, despite the room now being empty. She sat down on the couch and stared blankly out the window overlooking the bay.  “ _Don’t worry…she’s in good hands.”_  The thought ran through the sorceress’s head no less than a dozen times before she decided she couldn’t sit there and do nothing, while being away from Holly at the same time.  _If I was with her, at least I could do something if I needed to. Here, I wouldn’t even know if she…if – if she died._ Raven thought. She never was one to attempt to deny possibilities when they demanded attention, or acknowledgement at the very least. _I mean, there is a technique that you can possess somebody in order to stop their condition from becoming worse. Although I’ve never dabbled in it, and there is a chance of it going wrong and killing them. Or permanently possessing them. A rather high chance, too._ Raven tossed her head back in thought. _I can just hope that I never have to try that._

She glanced around the empty room again, checking the hallways to see if anybody was there.  _I wonder where all the Honorary Titans are._ Raven’s gaze fell on the corner of the room before another thought popped into her mind.   _Well, I can’t just sit here…_

Raven engulfed herself in her soul-self and sunk into the couch, leaving no trace of her ever being there.

Raven created a small portal directly over Robin’s head in the top corner of the room. Poking her head through the portal, she hovered there. It was impossible for Robin to see her by chance, and from her vantage point she could see the operating table, and therefore her beloved, without any obstructions.

Raven watched as Robin examined the X-ray directly below her. He peered at the small specks that were once bones and occasionally glanced at the monitor to check the woman’s vitals. A few minutes later he sat the X-rays back in their proper spot and leaned back in his chair, still breathing loudly from having stood face to face with a demon not ten minutes ago.

The door to the med bay slid open without a sound, but the pounding of four pairs of feet running through the corridor echoed in the room and broke the silence. Cyborg, the two doctors, and their single assistant, squeezed through the door as they entered the room.

“Robin, you’re good. We need to work here now, man.” Cyborg said quickly as Robin tried to peer into one of the drawers that he opened. Robin left the room without a word, not thrilled about being kicked out of the room, but he understood why and held nothing against Cyborg for being so short with him. Raven, still peering in from above, retreated back and shut the portal when Robin left, knowing that he would be en route to the tower’s main room.

She only had to wait a second for Robin to enter the common room. She sat in the exact same position as she was before, hoping that Robin wouldn’t say anything to her.

“Raven.” Robin said after standing in the entrance for nearly a full minute, collecting his thoughts.  _Well so much for silence._   “What happened back there, we’ll have to discuss it later, with the team. All I need to know now is if you’re hurt.”

“Physically, I’m fine.”   _Damn him for being a good leader._

“Good. Why don’t you go meditate? You should try to calm yourself downbefore we get back.”

“You’re going with Starfire and Beast Boy?”

“Yes. Even though I said that Slade wasn’t our concern before, he still has to be stopped now that you’re safe.”

“You shouldn’t have waited to stop him on my account.” Raven said, her voice neutral and her eyes staring at the opposite wall.

Robin left without another word between them, screeching down the street and to the warehouses a minute later.

.

*0o

.

“Dude, we’re too late.” Beast Boy said when Robin stepped through the portal, where Starfire also stood. Their plan, because Slade’s warehouse would be close to impossible for them to enter unscathed, was to wait until he opened his portal. Enter it, and release nearly all of the explosives that Robin had on him. Exiting back through the portal before the pellet bombs went off, they would return back to Earth through their small portal before it completely shut down.

That was the plan, at least. And it all depended on the Titans being in position before Slade was able to successfully deploy his platoons of robots into the new dimension.

That plan, of course, was now just a memory.

Seeing the Sladebots move slowly, checking through the wood homes as they moved from their massive portal –which was sheltered in a valley not far from the shrine to the previous Avatar and deceased Kyoshi Warriors –to the village center, Beast Boy wasted no time before leaping forward and heading towards a row of bodies lined up on the ground. Behind the earthen wall, which separated the village and the battlefield, rows of the wounded were lined up, being healed by the few water benders who worked as quickly as they could, or being treated by a few traditional doctors who could little but stop the bleeding as best they could in a situation such as this.

However, despite their best efforts, those treating the wounded Kyoshians were falling far behind without the aid of Raven.

Beast Boy, followed closely by Starfire and Robin, ran to protect the wounded men lying on the frozen ground. Morphing into a gorilla, Beast Boy tore up three nearby trees and threw them down on the ground, somewhat protecting the fallen soldiers from the few lasers that were shot towards them, and the many more that would surely come. Starfire follow suit, falling two trees on top of the three that were already down, further shielding the wounded men on the ground. Robin ran up to a person who was kneeling over a bleeding man.

“You there, hold this.” The woman called out to him, not looking up to see what he looked like. Robin hesitated before jogging over and placing his hand next to the older woman’s, on a grey piece of clothing that was pressed against an unconscious man’s leg.

“Keep the pressure on it.” The woman said before getting up and moving to the next person. Robin looked around quickly, satisfied that his teammates were taking action without him having to instruct them.

“Excuse me.” Robin yelled out to the woman, who promptly ignored him. He sighed in relief when he saw a younger boy, approximately his age and dressed in a blue tunic, rush up to him and with a movement of his hand, draw some water out of his Tiger Seal skin and begin to heal the groaning man. _Must be one of the powers that Raven kept referring to._

“Hey, you need to get these people out of here.” Robin pleaded with the kid once he got his attention. “There’s an army coming, stronger than what they’re facing out there.” Robin gestured with one hand towards the wall. The boy looked up, wide-eyed, at him. Without saying a word, he placed Robin’s hand back on the grown man, stood up, and sprinted towards the small doorway in the wall that separated the village and the battle. A second or two later, a woman emerged from the opening, clad in her green kimono and white, black and red face paint. She stood at the opening, eyeing him cautiously for a few seconds before approaching.

“What do you know?” Suki said brusquely, recognizing him as the one who was supposedly Raven’s friend; however, the fact that her hand was gripping her katana, ready to drawn in an instant, wasn’t lost on Robin. Robin, who noted that when she approached, also gagged slightly at the stench that surrounded her, no doubt due in part to the pieces of human tissue plastered to her leather armor, torn from the victims of the battle as the spears were ripped from their bodies.

Robin tore his eyes away from the pieces of flesh and splatters of blood on the otherwise green kimono and looked up to her face, the face paint beginning to run at the neckline, and where the metal band of her headdress met the skin. “There’s an army, only minutes away. They’ll destroy you faster than you can flee.”

“More of the Fire Nation?”

Robin shook his head, assuming that she was referring to the army that they were already fighting. “Worse, I would think. They’ll kill anybody who resists them. They’re machines, not capable of mercy.” He said grimly.

“They don’t care who they kill?” Suki asked, incredulous.

“The man who controls them only fights for himself. Considers everybody an enemy.” Robin raised an eyebrow, hid by his mask, at the sick smile that formed on the woman’s face.

“Then we could use your help.” Suki said as she knelt down beside the injured man and placed her hand next to Robin’s. Placing pressure on the wound, she told him: “Go gather your friends.”

.

*0o

.

“Hey,” Cyborg said, walking up to Raven, who was sitting on the round couch.

She looked at him, and looked forward again, not saying a word.

“They just started the operation now. It should take most of the afternoon, getting the prosthetics working right and hooked up nice and tight takes a little bit.” Cyborg said, taking a seat next to her. “You know, I haven’t seen you this worried before. I mean, well, not that it’s bad or anything. I just…haven’t seen you like this.” He stumbled over his words a bit as he noticed the sweat pouring off of Raven, her hair plastered to her head, eyes wide, and hands clenched into fists, occasionally being squeezed tightly and then released, just to be squeezed again a half a minute later. “Anyway, those are some real good doctors in there. Same ones that worked on me way back then…I said that already, didn’t I?” He looked over again and realized that his friend hadn’t heard a word he said.

.

*0o

.

Nevermore had never seen such a commotion before; with every emotion talking at once, it was a wonder that Raven didn’t have the worst headache of her life at that moment. Even Lust took part in the congregation, standing off to the side and pondering if a metal foot would get in her way or not.

“Why can’t we just trust the Doctors?” One of the emotions said from the back, perhaps Courage or Happy.

“Trust the Doctors? Which of you idiots said that?” Love burst out at hearing the suggestion, searching wildly for the speaker. “Are you insane? Their medicine is practically barbaric!”

“To be fair,” Wisdom countered, “They are somewhat knowledgeable in a few areas. And Earthlings do seem to have a better grasp on prosthetics than a few of the more ‘advanced’ planets who have little use for them.”

“Experience? You call strapping a wood peg with a hinge on it ‘experience?’” Love whipped around to face the yellow-clad Raven.

Wisdom squeezed her eyes shut and gathered her thoughts. “They’ve come very far from that, you know. Attempting to diminish one of their few positive accomplishments with severely outdated facts will get you nowhere in this.”

“Yeah.” Rude cut in from where she was idly watching. “Who knew that the race known for nearly destroying itself several different times would have great achievements in medicine, of all things.”

“You aren’t helping.” Wisdom glared at Rude, who returned it with equal intensity.

“Well, I mean it could be worse. Remember those doctors that didn’t use enough anesthetics on that one patient…” Rude’s mouth was quickly clamped by Rage, who had instinctively moved to Love’s side to attempt to help her. Although Rage wasn’t known for lending a hand in the best of ways, and resorted to pulling Rude towards her until their faces were only inches apart.

“Say something stupid like that again, and I will rip the vocal cords from your throat and force them down your throat, just before I strangle you with your own intestines.” All the other emotions went silent, even Timid, who was pacing on the ledge of the rock platform going over what she forgot to apologize to Holly about, stopped in her tracks and looked at Rage in fear.

.

*0o

.

Starfire carried a wounded man, who was unconscious from blood loss, as she flew towards the other rocky beach on the island. Behind her, Beast Boy followed closely behind her carrying a man who was still bleeding from his injured leg. They headed to the makeshift hospital area, which was nothing more than an area secluded enough so that the wounded would be far away enough from the fighting in hopes they wouldn’t become caught in between two armies. Below the two titans, the rest of the wounded were being carried away from the raging battle by a long line of Kyoshians, each man carrying a wounded brother-in-arms in his arms of on his shoulders. These men were those in the back rank, who weren’t directly fighting with the Fire Nation, and could be spared from the battlefield and put to better use by transporting every wounded Kyoshian out of the area in minutes.

Robin, exempt from the task of transporting the wounded, watched from behind the bank of the small stream that separated the main bay and the village. He saw the Sladebots as they finished checking each room of the last house before moving forward and into the empty area that the wounded were lying just minutes before. The robots quickly spotted the small doorway carved into the large wall, and one separated itself from the group and approached the opening. A second later, he disappeared into the entrance.

Robin heard a scream above the rest of the fighting, cut short by the red flash that accompanied the Sladebot’s weapon. Robin took it as a cue to speed his work. He ducked his head down below the dirt mound that lead into the side walls of the enclosed battlefield. Stretching his fingers before continuing, he pulled out a quarter sized piece of a clay-like substance from the largest compartment in his belt. Molding it with his fingers, he pushed it against the flat earth wall that separated him and the center ranks of the phalanx until it stuck. Continuing the process eight more times, he made of a ring of the clay pieces on the wall –large enough for a man to easily pass through with more room to spare.

Grunting slightly, he pulled out a wire from the same compartment and spooled it out, cutting it with a small razor built into the pouch that held the wire and clay, he pushed the wire into each pellet smashed against the wall until he was satisfied with the contraption.

“Almost done? And that red flash, what was it?” Suki whispered, having just arrived from moving the last of the wounded to the out-of-the-way beach. Robin noticed her initial presence, but she hadn’t spoken until just now, and Robin hadn’t acknowledged at all.

“I’m finished, and that was the army that I said was coming. They’ve already engaged your men.” Robin heard a sharp intake of air from the girl that he still didn’t know the name of.

Suki looked at the long wire that ran across the earthen wall, with the blobs of light colored clay spaced out every foot and a half. She then looked down at Robin’s belt, the one pocket still ajar.

“He fit all of that in his belt?” Suki said, turning to the green skinned teen that stood next to her.

“Yeah, just accept it. We stopped asking how years ago.” He said, shrugging. “We good, Robin?”

“Yes, get back.” He said, getting up from his kneeling position and backing the two away from the wall. He ducked down behind the bank of the stream bed, which was a full-fledged river during the rainy season, and pressed down hard on a small button strapped to his wrist.

A second later, the trio was coughing from the dust that was dislodged from the explosion. The clay pellets, actually a military grade explosive that Robin borrowed the recipe from Batman, exploded and left a large hole in the thick wall. Robin, the first to be able to see clearly with his mask protecting his eyes from the dust, was staring at the muscled farmer-turned-soldiers. Surprised by the explosion, the men backed up frantically, unsure what to make of it. Their doubts were cleared away when Suki rushed forward, stuck her head into the hole, and started gesturing wildly to her men. They seemed to understand what she wanted and, without hesitation, followed her lead and began emptying through the hole. 

The Kyoshians who were attempting, and failing, to fend off the Sladebots were being pushed back with great speed. Their brute strength and weapons –which frightened many of the Kyoshians into not attacking them –worked to their advantage as they forced their way into the rear of the formation. Their back two ranks, with great difficulty, managed to raise up their shields and turn around to face the new enemy. The Kyoshians could do little against the machines except brace themselves and pray that these new weapons couldn’t pierce the thick bronze of their shields. A brave, or perhaps foolish, few attempted to stick their head above their shield and thrust at them with their spear; but nobody dared to try it again after seeing their comrade’s spears splinter and break in two once it struck their metal skin, not giving way to the sharp tip as flesh would. The few men who attacked the robots were mercilessly cut down with their guns, the hot blast of energy cauterizing the wound it made instantly before the man fell forward into the muddied ground. These men, blocked from retreat by the other Kyoshians who still faced the Fire Nation, held tightly to the leather straps of their shields, for nothing else could protect them.

Suki’s appearance came as a great relief to those pinned down and being pushed back by the Sladebots, even if they knew it did not provide an immediate escape for them. They stood their ground, slowing the mechanical warriors advance for as long as they could, while the men in the middle ranks slowly worked their way out of the battlefield, through the hole in the wall, and into the stream bed where they were met with the strange sight of three strangely dressed teenagers.

The men stopped in their tracks when they saw the Titans, mostly shaken by the green skin and the girl floating several feet off the ground –a feat that Raven refrained from doing in public the entirety of her time on the island. They could only stare for a half-a-second before being pressured forward by the other men filing into the narrow streambed from the battlefield. Suki, grasping her shield once more, gathered the rest of the original Warriors and rallied them all to the front rank, relieving those still in combat while their peers escaped from the two fronted battle.

Starfire, well acquainted with the look of a battle hardened veteran from the years growing up on Tamaran, was shocked by the men she saw escaping in a mass exodus. The men looked at her and the other two Titans as they exited, their eyes scared and devoid of the optimism that they once knew. Starfire saw at once that these people weren’t fighters; instead, she saw them as farmers, merchants, fathers and sons, and the occasional strong-willed mother, who were forced to raise themselves to do things that day that were unthinkable to them not three months prior. She absent mindedly rose her hand into the Tamaranian salute, a sign of great respect to those who knew its meaning.

Inside the great walls that enclosed the killing fields, the front ranks of the phalanx held fast against the relentless onslaught of the Fire Nation, who showed no signs of abandoning their assault. While in the back rank, two dozen men pressed their shoulders into the bowls of their shields and braced themselves for the impact of yet another blast from the robots’ weapons. Still not daring to expose themselves long enough to fight back, they had formed a wall two shields high and pushed with all of their might against the flow of the new attackers. Every so often, a man who was kneeling behind his shield would duck his head lower, as a fellow soldier behind him stabbed at a metal hand that grasped at the shield, about to try and rip it down. Between the two fronts of the battle, the men on the far right of the formation –against the opposite wall that the Titans were at –pushed frantically at the men to their left, trying to hurry the exodus of the Kyoshians through the narrow hole.

.

*0o

.

For the fifth time, Cyborg cautiously nudged Raven’s arm, trying to get her attention but silently hoping that she would stay zoned out. She swayed slightly to the side and straightened herself out, still oblivious to the outside world.

Ten minutes later, he tried again.

“Cyborg.” He froze, hoping he wasn’t in too much trouble for disturbing her, but glad she at least aware of her surroundings now. “I’ll need that textbook on circuitry you gave when we fixed the T-car, and that spare one about physiology you had. Anything you have regarding prosthetics, and I believe I saw one on biocompatible materials a few years back. I’d like that one too if you still have it.” Cyborg was still processing what he had just heard when Raven turned her head to look straight at him in the eye. “Please.” She said, her voice breaking its monotone for that single word.

“Oh, well, of course. I mean, I’m not sure about one or two of those, but I think I have some similar ones…”

“Good, thank you. How long until she wakes up?”

“Well, the operation will be done within a couple of hours at most, but it’ll take some time for them to calibrate it an’ all. And knowing Dr. Harrison, he’ll probably have her out cold for at least another full day to monitor her…”

“Very well.” _That should leave enough time to read the textbooks._ “Thank you once more.”

“No problem.” He said, still confused by the sudden change in his friend’s attitude. He slowly stood up to go find his old textbooks from when he first received his new “body”.

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*0o

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R&R!

 

 


	19. Love Hate Heartbreak

 

The right side of phalanx began to buckle under the Fire Nation’s attack. Lacking the support from behind, and with a growing disorder within the ranks of the Kyoshians, a handful of enemy foot soldiers punched through the small opening that formed between the weakened phalanx and the solid wall, a result of the militiamen unconsciously edging closer to the hole in the wall. Closer to safety. A half dozen Kyoshians were cut down before the Kyoshians could react to the breach. And even then, the line began to crumble even further. The five enemy soldiers that broke their ranks opened them up to a dozen more, and within seconds the phalanx was beginning to unzip. Men, so concentrated on the battle in front of them, didn’t know they were outflanked until a knife was plunged into their back and their body was pushed aside.

By this time, the soldiers who held their ground against the killing machines from another world had begun to exhaust. One particular man was so worn down that, once dislodged from his position, he keeled over on the spot; allowing the robots and his fellow comrades to simply walk over him as they fled to safety.

Starfire, after helping widen the hole by several times once she arrived, floated to the top of the wall to see the action going on below.

With a mix of awe and fear, she watched as the men battled against the Sladebot until their bodies began to betray them. Overcoming them due only to their artificial endurance, the Sladebots unleased a volley of blasts from their guns into the backs of the militiamen and the Fire Nation soldiers alike. Those who were blocking their path just moments before were now being dragged to the hole in the wall, too exhausted to stand on their own legs.

Starfire subconsciously held her breath as she saw two of the Kyoshi Warriors force their way back into the battlefield, against the flow of the mass of people, and sprint out to the middle of where the phalanx once was, now an empty area with bodies littering the ground. The duo, ducking their head beneath the red lasers from the Sladebots –who now were shooting indiscriminately at the Fire Nation soldiers –reached an older man who was howling in pain and pinned beneath the lifeless body of another man. Starfire motioned to Beast Boy, and the two Titans flew to their aid, despite Robin’s delayed protest.

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*0o

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“What in the bloody hell is going on down there…” The Admiral said softly, barely heard above the din of the ship’s engine that reverberated throughout the entire ship. The bridge was otherwise completely silent, which every man on duty fixated on the battle raging beneath. Their eyes pressed hard into the leather sockets of the binoculars as they watched their enemy line crumble and retreat; only for their soldiers to meet a new and more powerful foe.

“First an organized militia, and now this!” The ship’s Chief Officer blurted out in disbelief. “This whole mission has gone to shit.”

“Sir,” a courier entered the room from the door behind the officers on the bridge, “the remaining officers of the ground forces have come to a consensus, sir.”

“Well? Spit it out, lad.” The Admiral replied, his eyes still glued to the battle below them.

“We –ah, they, have decided to signal the retreat of any remaining soldiers, sir. They request that you prepare the ship for an immediate departure from the bay.”

The Admiral didn’t respond for a long moment, still peering through the binoculars. Then, for just a second, he looked away from the island and back at his crewmates, who all awaited his decision.

“Signal the retreat. Once the last man gets on this ship, we’re getting out of here.” He said after the silence. The half dozen men that were in the bridge at the time visibly relaxed, relieved by the decision.

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*0o

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Slade’s eyes widened an indistinguishably small amount when he saw the images received from his robots flash across the screen. At first, he only saw the large bronze discs for several minutes as they tried in vain to retard his progress, and then a rapid succession of wounded, dying, or already deceased men lying on the ground. Those images aren’t was surprised him. Rather, it was the army that his machines met. _And to think, I said that “they would need an army to stop me” in jest._  Slade, seeing that his plan wouldn’t play in his favor any longer, stood up and plucked his steel briefcase off the ground. He reached over to his laptop and punched in a five-digit code. A second later, the image of his second-in-command appeared.

“Do what you can over there, make sure to leave a squad back to clean up if you don’t succeed. Leave no witnesses.” Slade said to the robot on the screen before shutting the laptop and placing it under his arm. A minute later, he was nowhere to be found in the building. 

_A far-fetched plan in the first place. Too many variables to put a serious investment into it. Perhaps I went through with it for my own amusement more than anything. Seeing the titans force themselves to ignore me for so long was worth it alone._  The mental image of Robin telling his team that Slade wasn’t their first priority prior to their mission elicited a small chuckle from Slade.   _Yes, that’s why I did it. This will surely keep poor Robin sleepless for a week at the very least. Besides, the blueprint for the machine might fetch a small fortune on the black market._ He patted the briefcase a few times.  _Even if they’re useless without that second-rate criminal: the “Professor”._

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*0o

.

Robin, along with Starfire, Beast Boy, and the remaining Warriors –all of which were still alive, through some curious miracle –watched from the top of the thick earthen wall that encased the battlefield.

“You know, of all the scenarios I ran through in my head, I never thought that machines would be winning this battle for us.” Suki said to Robin, who stood next to her, and the other Warriors.

“Don’t get the wrong idea from this. They aren’t fighting for, or with, you. They’re just fighting, that’s the only thing they they know how to do.”

“Still, never would’ve imagined this.” Suki said, kicking her legs against the wall she sat on top of. Below them, the once raging battle had become closer and closer to resembling a massacre. The robots met no formidable resistance to their advance as even the most battle hardened veterans of the Fire Nation Army abandoned their positions and fled in terror back to their ships. Suki felt sick to the stomach. _These machines, it’s only a matter of time when this is what warfare on this world will eventually become. Inhumane, or at least more so that it already is, and devoid of any mercy, any sense of pride or honor. Any sense of comradery. Nobody will fight for the person next to them is that person is devoid of emotion –if that person is a mere machine. This probably won’t happen in my own lifetime, not even in the lifetime of those just born. But when it does, what will become of the world? What will happen when people send masses of machines to do their biddings?_ Suki felt even more nauseated than before when a new thought hit her, hard.  _What will happen when these aren’t released on another army –but when they’re used against civilians? Surely that will be the beginning of the end for us, as a race. When machines, devoid of mercy and the most basic of emotions, are used to control those deemed unworthy or unholy. Those who might or might not have done any wrong. Will people just try to get through life unhurt? Not having the ability to risk themselves and fight for a better life? Because it would not be a fight, it would be suicide to face a machine that could outmatch any human. Or any number of humans for that matter._

“If you think your men are out of harm’s way for now,” Robin started, “then we have to go back to destroy the machine that’s allowing them through.”

Suki nodded in response and watched the three superheroes stand up and walk to the end of the wall.

“Hey, it’s Suki, right?” Beast Boy asked as he walked past her. She nodded again in response.

“That girl who got hurt before, she knew Raven, right?”

Another nod form the worn warrior.

“Oh, Starfire thought that she was trying to hurt her and tried to stop her…”

“Yeah, we figured that.” She said bluntly, not looking at him.

“Right, well, I thought you should know that she’s being treated right now, and, I mean I don’t know what or how they’re doing it, but the doctors helping her.”

 _“I_ don’t know what or how they’re doing it _…” Well that’s reassuring._ “You should go.”

“Yeah, alright. Well, bye then.” He started walking away, but stopped and turned after a few paces. He reached in his pocket and pulled out his communicator. Tossing it to her, he said: “We’ll give you a call when she gets better, maybe then we can figure out how to get her back.”

“We’ll address that when the time comes.” She said after catching the yellow device and giving the green boy a wave goodbye. _If Holly even wants to come back. In all honesty, I think most of the Warriors would rather see her stay there with Raven and start a new life. Although that’s her decision._

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*0o

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Robin went through the portal as he was running, and when he reentered their dimension, he fumbled as he lost his footing and landed hard against the concrete floor of the warehouse. Starfire and Beast Boy followed closely behind and landed softly next to him. He quickly stood up and pulled out his communicator. After Robin made a quick call to all of the Honorary Titans, who were waiting on standby less than a block away, the trio sprinted out the large door and, without any hesitation, Beast Boy morphed into a rhinoceros and gouged out a wide hole in the wall of Slade’s warehouse.

“Titans, go!” Robin called, and they burst into the warehouse at the same time that the first few honorary titans ripped through the ceiling.

Robin stopped mid run and stood there, trying to comprehend what he saw. In the center of the large room stood the transporter, as expected. But what disturbed him was the absolute lack of anything else. And the illusion of the place being abandoned would have tricked them all had they not heard a cry for help from behind the glassed of room that was once Slade’s observation area. Robin withdrew one of his bird-shaped shurikens and launched it at the glass in a single, fluid motion. The glass cracked and, when the second shuriken hit the window pane, it shattered and fell. Two more bird-shaped projectiles later and the robot that stood behind the glass was shaking violently as sparks flew form its head. Thinking quickly, Argent, floating a few meters above the ground, swept the glass on the floor to the side just before Starfire ran forward and took a strong grip on the steel temporary wall before ripping from its mounting and tossing it to the side, out of the way of the titans.

“Oh, thank god, thank god.  Thank the heavens…” The Professor kept stammering as he tried to stand up. Robin was surprised when he saw the Professor. Although he wasn’t taken back by his presence, but rather his condition. The man’s appearance had aged by years in mere weeks. He had grown sickly thin and both his hands and feet were bound with a thick rope. His eyes, once full of life, were now vacant and growing more distant with each passing minute. Robin was quick to act, tackling the only other Sladebot in the room before he could turn to face the Titans.

“Whoa,”  “Dude,” Argent and Beast Boy said, their jaws slack after seeing the sight in front of them. With the temporary wall now permanently removed, all the titans and honorary titans could see the Professor, emaciated and bound, as the last one alive in the small room. Every other ‘person’ in the room was a Sladebot. The surprising part, however, was the robot that Robin short-circuited was frozen, still holding his side arm directly at the Professor. Scattered around him were the forms of the other Sladebots, each with two black spot of the chest and head –the burn marks from the now defunct acting commander’s pistol.

“Where’s Slade?” Robin demanded as he grasped the Professor’s collar and pulled him to his feet, which were still bound.

“He up and left. Then told him to ‘clean up’.” He stammered out, giving a nod towards the robot that Robin took down moments before. It was only after lifting the once criminal up with one arm did Robin notice the Professor’s physical state. He loosened his grip on the older man and cut his ties with the blade of another bird-a-rang before releasing him.

“Beast Boy, take him to the Tower, and for Pete’s sake, have Cyborg make him some food.” Robin turned to the other Titans. “Everybody else, take out that Portal!”

.

*0o

.

“I’m sorry, we had no idea what you were going through. We never would have thought that anybody, even Slade, would treat you like that.” Robin said to the Professor as they were both stood outside of the warehouse close to an hour after the short ‘battle’.

“Nobody would have expected it. And I feel awful for not trusting you guys –my biggest mistake, no doubt.” Robin did nothing to refute the Professor’s point, but instead nodded at him while the red and blue lights of a police car flashed against his white mask.

“No matter what you did or why you did it, it was still against the law –although I’m sure they’ll shorten the waiting period before you’re up for parole.” Robin paused a moment as he watched the man lower himself into the waiting police car. “I am sorry, though,” he said through the cracked open window, “that we never found your wife or daughter.”  _It would break him to tell him that his wife had died, and who knows what happened to his daughter. Last we heard from Raven, she was a soldier of sorts. Probably means she died on that battlefield back there. A shame we never found her._ The young leader looked back at the now emptied warehouse, from which a wisp of smoke from the demolish machine still rose out of the cracks in the roof, and then back to the tower. _Should I go see Raven now? I don’t what I would do if I did. I mean, she killed people back there. Ruthlessly and intentionally. Demon form or not, that’s crossing so many lines that something has to be done…but what? She’s sensible enough, and I don’t think she would endanger anybody if she got mad about it. Instead, she would just leave, and that would be it. I’d just leave it for a while and try later, after she’s calmed down. At least, that’s what would’ve happened three months ago, before this whole ordeal occurred. But now? I’m not even sure. Three months ago Rage wouldn’t have been strong enough to take over, either –what else has changed since then? Has Raven lost control over her emotions? God, how I hope I’m overthinking this._

Robin reluctantly swung his leg over his custom motorcycle after watching the police car drive away until it was no longer visible, and, revving the engine a few times, sped off down the poorly repaired road –taking a few extra turns to check on some of the business districts before returning to his home.

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*0o

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Raven flipped to the next page of the biocompatible materials textbook she was reading. She sat on the far end on the curved couch in the middle of the common room, and hadn’t spoken a word to any of the Titans since they all arrived back from the other dimension for the second, and last, time. The honorary titans were quick to see that she wasn’t going to be disturbed, and dispersed themselves ton their respective rooms, many of them taking the time to pack their few belongings into their duffle bags now that Raven was returned safely and their mission was accomplished. As for the original titans, though, only Cyborg retreated to his room to tinker with a few of his gadgets and recharge. Starfire left for the city with haste, her announcement of going into town to gather fresh ingredients for the welcoming feast fell on deaf ears as Beast Boy was lost in his own thoughts on the opposite side of the couch as Raven, and Raven was lost in the technical writings of a world-renowned professor. Robin hadn’t arrived back at the tower yet.

Raven shifted in her seat, feeling the burning sensation that came with somebody staring at you. Beast Boy didn’t try to hide his actions, figuring that she was in one of her “oblivious while reading” phases again, and not particularly caring if he got caught.

_I’ve always known that he had feeling for me, but this is ridiculous…_

_Should I tell her? I’ve been worried sick over her for months. Thank goodness she’s safe…_

_Can’t he stop staring? So childish…_

_I’ve waited so long to tell her, why can’t I even talk to her now?_

_Dammit, Beast Boy. I can barely concentrate with you…with you ogling…_

_I have to tell her, I can’t wait any longer for this. And then maybe tomorrow or the next day we could go to the amusement park for our first date! I think I still have those free tickets somewhere…_

_I can’t take it anymore. I can’t take him anymore. It’s suffocating in here, and I have to concentrate on these textbooks…_

Raven felt a sudden burst of courage breakthrough the waves of uncertainty and nervousness that he was letting off him. Having a strong sense of what he was going to say, she decided to stop him before it would become more awkward for them both.

“Save your breath, Beast Boy. I already have a significant other.” Beast Boy’s jaw went from open and ready to confess his love, to slack and useless as he was struck by the words. He could only watch as Raven gathered up the books that occupied the cushion next to her, stood up, and left the room. The sound of the pneumatic door shutting after Raven walked out repeated itself in Beast Boy’s mind for the next full hour as he sat there, unmoving.

_Was that clear enough for him? Maybe I’ll go ask Cyborg when the operation will be done before going to my room. Or I could just wait in the med bay; I think there’s a chair out in the hall there…_

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*0o


	20. Bittersweet Sundown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I specifically waited four days to post this. Not to revise, although I did do that a few times, but so that it would be posted on the 10th. Why? Well, I realized last week that I started this story exactly one year ago from today, on 10/10/13. Which makes me extremely happy that I didn’t check that date a day or two too late. But also kind of depressed –because in an entire year, I’ve only made it through twenty chapters (And I have no excuses for that). So -HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSERARY, guys! And so much thanks for sticking with it, even despite my awful writing when I just started out…and my possibly-still-semi-bad writing now that I’m slowly improving.  
>  Now, let’s just hope it doesn’t take me another year to finish it.   
> So, on a side note, I did get around to redoing chapter one after I realized that only about 1/2 to 1/3 of the people continued onto the second chapter after reading / opening the first. I changed it pretty drastically, such that instead of the Professor being insane and wanting the titans to come (which doesn’t make much sense considering the subplot of him finding his daughter) I made it so Raven entered the A:tla world due to more of an accident. I’ll have to revise some of the other chapters to take out any references to them fighting now, but I’ll get around to that eventually.
> 
> Oh, and this chapter, along with the remaining ones, will be almost exclusively conversations and whatnot. I’m thinking that I’m done with writing action scenes for this. That being said, there were ways in which I could have, and really wanted to, make Robin come out as much more of an ass than he is in this story. However, I think that he genuinely mean well (which leads to one of my favorite lines in the story so far). Oh, and a lot of people hate on Robin, and write him as a bad / insensitive person etc. I thought that would be the easier way out of this, and heck, who would ever want to read about that? On another side note, there were also alternate endings for this story that I had relatively well thought out. One of the originals involves Holly dying, and the epilogue starting with Raven making a deal with Trigon to bring her back. (Okay, so I may have had only half of that ending thought out.)   
> So, now that you’ve scrolled through my A/N, and maybe saw the caps locked words only, enjoy!

*0o

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“Raven? Raven, we need to talk.” Robin said as he saw the other woman sitting in the chair outside of the medical bay. It was just over an hour since Robin had returned, and he had used the time to take a short rest and collect his thoughts for the discussion he knew was to come.

“It can wait.” She dismissed him, her attention on one of the textbooks that Cyborg lent her.

“Raven, what happened back there –…Excuse me?” Robin started talking before he took in what she had said, not expecting to be turned away

“I said we could have this conversation later.” Raven looked up from the textbook. “Now is hardly the time.”

“I know you’ve been through a lot, but this is important. Now we have to discuss what you did back there, what you did to those soldiers –it was unacceptable.”

Raven took a mental note of the page number she was on and gently closed the thick book. “Go on.” _Does he have any decency? Who the hell would want to talk about this now? There’s no avoiding it, I guess…_

“I want you to tell me everything that happened before we rescued you.”

 _Rescue? Does he think so highly of himself the he believes he was rescuing me?_ “I seem to recall that people were dying. Then I attempted to stop it, only to fail when you stuck a few needles into me –which I do not appreciate, by the way.”

“Raven, I’d like to believe that you were helping people, but…but that wasn’t you when we found you. The person you are right now I respect as a friend and a teammate –not the thing that took you over back there on the battlefield.” Robin leaned against the opposite wall in the narrow hallway.

“That _thing,_ as you call it, was me, albeit a different form of myself. And you’ll have to accept that who I am now and what I was then are one in the same.” She stated, opening the book back up and looking at it, if only to avoid eye contact with Robin. “I’ve accepted that as a fact when I found a common ground with my other half.”

“Raven, how could you just lay down and accept that? The entire time I’ve known you, you worked hard to become your own person. You can’t just throw all of that away!”

 “I’ve tried to separate my human and demonic halves, and have failed miserably. I didn’t separate them, I suppressed them both. I sacrificed any emotions that I could have felt through my human side for safety in knowing that my other half was equally suppressed. And, quite frankly, being apathetic for my entire life seems like a poor tradeoff for a trace amount of safety. Thus, I refuse to continue to do that; at least to the extent that I previously was.”

“Trace amount? Raven, if your “other half” gets out of control, the consequences are very serious.”

“Except I will not. I’ve found balance with it, and unless something unthinkable happens, it cannot harm anyone.

“And what that it does happen? It’s too much of a risk, Raven.”

“If that happens,” _if I lose Holly,_ “then I imagine that I would be at more of a risk to myself than others.”

“No.” Robin shook his head. “Raven, you have to fight it. Whatever this “balance” you found is, it can’t be real. You’ve never found balance with you demon before, what makes you think it would want to now?” Robin pressed his hand to his forehead, mulling over the situation at hand. “What could make you think that a demon would ever want to find peace with a human? It makes no sense.”

“It cannot be real?” She restated what he said, venom seeping through in her voice. “To say that is to insult not only my intelligence, but my emotions as well. I’ll take into consideration that you are ignorant on the subject, but I advise against saying something foolish like that again. Now is there anything else, or are you leaving?” _Not real? I swear, if he insults me, if he insults us, again, then he will be truly sorry._

“Alright, let’s take a few liberties and say that you found balance with it, and that somehow it’s genuine. That still doesn’t justify what you did to those soldiers.”

“I wasn’t under the impression that I had to justify my actions to you.”

“Raven, ever since I had that…fiasco…with Slade, and you helped me by forming that mental link –heck, ever since we formed this team, I’ve considered you like a sister to me. I just want to help you.”

“You’re under the impression that I need help. You are wrong. And from my understanding of this, you’re trying to blame my demon for my actions rather than accepting that it was me, all of me, both halves of me, that killed those soldiers. It’s a poor idea to assume such things.”

“If it was you that did that to them, then you were conscious, in control, during it –weren’t you, Raven?” _Can’t he stop using my name in every other sentence? It isn’t necessary, and he’s saying it like it’s derogatory…_

“Conscious? Only until I was sedated by _you_.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “In control? Less than you think.”

“You knew what you were doing, that you were killing them, and you did it anyway.”

She gave a slight nod. _Does he want a medal or something?_

“I’m sorry, then, but the Raven I know must be still in that other world.”

Robin stood back up and started walking away, only to turn around just before he rounded the corner.

“One last question, did you enjoy it when you were killing those men?”

_Part of me did._

Raven didn’t give him an answer, and stared at him until he turned around and left.

Raven flung her head back and released a long sigh. _Well, that could have gone better._ A felt a sinking feeling in her chest as she realized that their discussion was not yet over, and would surely be continued once he had solidified his argument further.

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*0o

.

“Hey, Raven, you can come on in now.” Cyborg poked his head out of the door to the Medical Bay right after it slid open, just over an hour after Robin left. “She’s awake. Doc was goin’ to put her under for a day to keep an eye on her, but he didn’t think was completely necessary –as long as she don’t walk on it for a few days.”

Raven didn’t bother bookmarking her page in the maintenance manuals from Cyborg’s old prosthetics before dropping them to the floor and wedging her way past Cyborg and into the white-walled operating room. In a single, swift, and fluid motion, Raven went from standing at the doorway to embracing the injured Warrior as tightly as she could without putting pressure on the brace that immobilized her shoulder.

“Hey now, pretty, I know it’s been like three hours, but I’m not sure I can take it if you’re going to be this clingy.” Came the strained response from Holly as Cyborg and the two Doctors watched in amusement. “Try to loosen up a bit too, will ya’?”

“Shut up.” Came the muffled response from Raven –who had her face buried in the small crevice at the base of Holly’s neck and shoulder. She stayed there for as long as she could, taking in the scents of the sweat and the dried splatters of other people’s blood on the other woman’s clothes, all with the underlying scent of hospital-grade disinfectant that filled the entire room.

Holly tried, unsuccessfully, to push her off with one arm after several minutes of Raven squeezing her tightly. Only after Cyborg stepped over and pried Raven off the woman did the sorceress step away and look down at the floor, sheepish and bashful, embarrassed to show such emotions in front of her teammate and the two doctors.

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*0o

.

Every room in the tower was doused in red light as the klaxon sounded, signaling yet another disturbance in the city.

“C’mon, she’s in good hands.” Cyborg said to Raven as he gently ushered out of the room. Raven formed a portalon the hallway wall and stepped through it, leaving it open long enough for Cyborg to pass through it to and enter into the tower’s common room.

“Hey, you didn’t use your mantra for that.” Cyborg noted as the two waited for a minute for the others to arrive.

Raven gave a shrug in response. _Maybe I’ll tell him later about how Rage has amplified my powers…it’ll have to come out eventually. And I’d rather tell him myself than let him find out through Robin._

Within a few seconds, Beast Boy came up on the elevator. _Of course he would use the elevator._ And a minute later, Robin came in, with Starfire trailing closely behind him. Robin made his way over to the council and shut off the alarm, before getting on the intercom and tell the remaining Honorary Titans that they would handle it.

Robin hung up the intercom and turned around to face the team.

“Raven.” _There he goes with that damned tone, I swear if he keeps doing that…_    “Why don’t you sit this out and take the time to get settled back in? We can handle this one just fine.”

Raven grunted out an unintelligible word or two and phased through the floor, closing her eyes as she did so.

An exchange of concerned looks between Cyborg and Starfire later and the team was off, racing to the scene of the ongoing crime.

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*0o

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Cyborg knocked four times on the Med Bay’s sliding door before letting himself in. His chest plate and a piece of armor that made up his forearm was caved inward, damaged from the unexpectedly intense battle that he just arrived back from. He was greeted to the sight of Raven still leaning against the wall, watching and scrutinizing the doctor’s every move as one went over maintenance with Holly and the other pushed and pulled on it, and occasionally adjusted it accordingly. _Ah, I forgot just how much these guys are engineers as they are doctors…_ Cyborg reminisced as he watched the scene for a brief second.

“A fight shouldn’t have taken that long. And where are the others? I don’t sense them in the tower.” Raven said in her characteristic monotone, staying focused on the doctors and not looking at Cyborg.

“Robin is still filling out paperwork. The police aren’t happy with how much damage was done to the street this time. Beast Boy took off somewhere, he seemed pretty distracted the entire time, and I’m pretty sure Starfire went to talk to him.”

“Oh.” Raven said as Cyborg stepped past her and opened up a cabinet on the far wall. He pulled out a bulky, tissue-box sized device, which was made of his signature circuitry. He latched it onto his undamaged arm and stood there for a full minute –letting the box take its readings as he, too, watched the two doctors’ fuss over their patient.

“Aww man, I just replaced that pump!” Cyborg groaned as he saw the reading show up on the screen of the device, which spit out the damage received by each system and subsequent part that made up the robotic man. “Yo, Raven. I’ll need your help to replace this, if you aren’t done holding up that wall.” He said in a light tone, one that could never be taken as harsh or criticizing by anyone.

Raven cracked a smile, which earned nothing more than a raised eyebrow from Cyborg. The sorceress looked back at Holly, who ushered for Raven to go with her teammate, before stepping out of the room and waiting for Cyborg to collect a few more things from the cabinets and join her.

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*0o

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“I thought you needed help repairing your arm.” Raven said and Cyborg stepped into the elevator and pushed the roof button.

“I do, but I’ve got everything I need right here.” He gave a small toolbox he was holding a slight shake. “Besides, fresh air is good for the body, even if it is half machine.”

Raven said nothing and waited for the elevator to stop rising. The two stepped out a few seconds later and chose a shaded area to take a seat on the edge of the tower. Cyborg went right to work, removing his damaged plates and a few of his good ones, in order to get access to the internally damaged areas.

“Looks like it was a bad fight, who was it this time?”

“Mm, Dr. Light, haven’t seen him in a while so he must have been upgrading his suit. It wasn’t a good fight, I’ll tell you that.” He said, picking up a tiny screw driver and loosening some of the wires that were sizzling hot.

“Why didn’t you call me? It didn’t have to a bad fight. Didn’t have be a fight at all…”

“That’s the thing. Robin said something about you and your powers. I didn’t really catch it all, I mean, we were getting shot at when he said it. Either way, he said he was going to discuss it with us tonight. I wanted your side first, so I looped you into helping me. He does have a habit of only giving half of a story, you know.”

“Thank you, it’s much appreciated. Although, I would rather not discuss it at this time.” Raven said as she got up, only to be stopped by Cyborg holding her wrist.

“Girl, you have nowhere else to be right now. That girl down there is in good hands, and you’re only hurting yourself by watching it all. Ain’t nothin’ that can go wrong now with her now –so sit back down.” Raven gave a frown but returned to her spot on the ledge anyway. “So if you don’t want to talk about that, then tell me about her. You’re worried sick over her, so how do you know each other?”

“She found me when I first arrived, I was unconscious on a road somewhere. She took me to a shelter and watched over me until I woke up –and I traveled with her for a while, had nobody else to trust out there, so I saw no harm in it.”

“Right, by the way, I never did catch her name.”

“It’s Holly.”

“So you’ve been with this person for the entire time that you were in that world? You two do seem…close.” The last word the Cyborg said lingered for a few moments.

“That’s one way of saying it.”

“Right.” He said, and went back to replacing the fried wires in his forearm –allowing a long silence to follow.

Cyborg let out a groan, breaking the silence between them.

“Why am I so out of the loop in all of this?” Cyborg complained, a rare thing for him to do.

Raven just looked at him with a raised eyebrow, expecting an explanation.

“Nobody will tell me anything! Robin wanted me to stay back and “protect the machine”, which maybe that was the logical choice, but it sure didn’t seem like it. Because of that, I don’t know a thing that happened in that world. And Robins been acting weird since he came back, something did happen and nobody will tell me. Not to mention Beast Boy is all depressed for some reason.” He shook head with another sigh.

“I can’t speak for Beast Boy,” _Or I’d rather not, at least,_ “but swear to me that you won’t look at us, Holly or myself, differently, and I’ll tell you what happened in the other dimension.”

“I would like that very much, and of course I won’t, you’re my friend.”

 _I might not be after this._ “Fair enough. In the other dimension, I traveled with Holly –as you already know.”

“Yep.”

“Well, I traveled with her until she got back to her home, a small island. And I kind of settled in with them.”

“Them?”

“Her and a group of Warriors that she was a part of. Not very different form ourselves, actually. Except they were fighting a war, not criminals.”

Cyborg nodded, letting her continue.

“I made a home there with them, a good one at that. Although that, right now, is unimportant. Point being, when Robin and the others arrived, they stepped into the middle of a battle. The Fire –err, one of the countries in that world was invading the island. Every farmer and villager on that bit of land was fighting for their lives when Robin showed up. At first, we –they, were winning. Or so it seemed. When you guys arrived the formation the soldiers had was starting to collapse. If it was overrun, there would be no escaping from the enemy.” Raven took a deep breath. “To protect those who I had come to consider my family, Rage took over, and attacked the other army. Robin…happened to see the worst of it.”

“Is that why he didn’t let you fight today?”

“I believe so, he seems to think that Rage has taken complete control of me, and not accepted that I have found balance with her.”

“Balance?” He said, with a curious tone laced with well-grounded caution.

“I’d like to elaborate, but it may not be wisest thing for me to do at this time. I assure you, though, that I am perfectly stable so long as nobody does something stupid.”

“Okay, I’ll take your word for it. So you’re stable, and you do seem to be right now, they why wouldn’t Robin let us call you for help during the fight with Dr. Light? Star and I tried a few times, but he stopped us. Didn’t really say why, though.”

“That…may have something to do with how I was ‘protecting’ those people when Robin arrived.”

Cyborg raised his only eyebrow, silently urging Raven to continue.

“You see, deep down, I think that Robin’s a good person with good intentions. The issue lies in the fact that deep down, I’m not. And I think he realizes that. I protected my new friends by releasing Rage at their enemy, fully aware of what Rage was capable of. Perhaps I could have protected them without resorting to that –at least I’d like to think so. In truth, I took the easy way out. I let out Rage because I wanted it to end quickly, not one did I consider the lives of the enemy soldiers.”

“Raven, what matters is that your friends are alive because of you –”

“No, if they even are still alive right now, it’s because of Slade. Ironic, isn’t it? And still, I didn’t make a deal with Rage to help those people; I turned to her because I couldn’t bear the thought of losing them. And to preserve their lives, I resorted to taking the lives of others.”

“People were trying to kill your friends. Trying to kill you, too. I’d bet that nobody would think you were a bad person for protecting your friends –motivations aside.”

“Perhaps, yes, but I didn’t just kill the soldiers.” Raven hung her head and looked away from her robotic friend. “I made them suffer. I hated them for trying to harm her. I knew that they were only doing what they thought was right, but I played with them before killing them –I made them go through pain just to satisfy myself. I know what Robin’s been thinking –that doing that was unforgivable. And honestly, I agree with him.”

 “Hey, look at me.” Cyborg said with a newfound sternness, but Raven didn’t comply. “C’mon, girl. Look at me.” He demanded once more, and Raven glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “Nuh-uh, that won’t do.” He shook his head and shifted himself so he was facing Raven, then pulled at Raven until she was facing him.

“This isn’t necessary. Not to mention uncomfortable.”

“Maybe, maybe not. But in all seriousness, we’ve all had tough calls to make before. Sometimes they go well, and pay off. Other times they don’t, but it doesn’t matter.  Now I may not be the most qualified person for advice like this, or for most advice, actually, but you’ll have to learn to live with what you did. So you killed them. So you played with them. Yeah, that’s bad and all, and it probably was excessive –but the point is that you did something. If you didn’t, and they killed your friends, then you would’ve had to live with knowing that you did nothing. Not to mention that we’ve devoted years to saving people. How many lives have we saved? I’m not sayin’ that can justify anything, but you aren’t a bad person. And anybody who thinks that just doesn’t have their head on straight.”

“You’ve got it wrong again. I didn’t join the Titans to help save people. I thought that maybe I could do a little good in this world before I destroyed it, something along the lines of atoning for my sins.”

“And I joined this team because I didn’t fit in with anybody that I once knew. Thought that maybe I found a bunch of people who liked me for just being me. Does that mean that everybody I’ve helped before is meaningless?”

“Of course not, and while I see your point, it brings up another concern of mine.”

“Alright, I’m listening.”

“Being that Trigon is no longer a threat to this world, my original reasoning for joining this team is no longer valid.”

“You thinking about leaving?”

“It is an option I must consider, especially concerning the…events, of the past months.”

“So you and Holly are a couple, then?”

Raven tensed up and jerked her head to the side, away from Cyborg. Behind them, a small ladder that was bolted the side of the elevator shaft was encased in dark energy and crumpled into the size of a volleyball. It stayed there, clinging onto the wall by a single bolt.

“That obvious?”

“Well, she did day “hey, pretty” when she first saw you after the operation. That, and that you would hardly leave her side once she woke up.”

“Does Robin know?”

“Doubt it, he locked himself up in his room for most of the time before Dr. Light showed up.”

“Good. I trust you not to say a word to him about it.” She said with a glare.

“No worries ‘bout that.” He shot a broad smile at her, and the glare soon faded. “Hey, you know that with her foot being bionic now, it’d be a real bad idea for her to go back home with it. Bein’ that their tech isn’t so great and all. If it needs to be fixed, and it will, there’s only so much you can do by yourself.” He stated, turning serious again.

“Yes, I’ve considered that already. And while it wouldn’t be easy for her to leave her teammates, she could lead a better, perhaps normal, life here. And I think she knows that.”

“Hmm, things that bad in that world?”

“I couldn’t say for certain: I was in a single area most of the time. But surely she got the worst of what it could offer.” Raven took a minute to collect her thoughts. “Which comes to another point: Melvin, Timmy, and Teether. I hate it how they’re being forced into the role of a superhero so early on. They’re being deprived of a childhood, and I can’t stand by and watch it happen. You can understand that, right? You are one of the few of us that did experience a normal life before we formed a team.”

“Sure I can understand what you mean, and why too. But before you went to that world, you seemed to be okay with their training. Why bring it up now?”

“I wasn’t okay with it, but at the time I thought that I couldn’t do anything to stop it. My discomfort with it was only fortified when I met Rena. She’s a kid back on Kyoshi that lost her father a little more than a month ago, and her mother long before I came.”

“Must be rough for her.”

“You’d think. But Holly was also a longtime family friend of hers, so we ended up taking her in. The thing is, she has this spirit about her that I envy –it’s like she keeps finding joy in every little thing she finds that she doesn’t understand. Her appetite for knowledge is voracious, to say the least. At first I thought she was in denial after her only remaining parent died, but I think now that she just loved life too much to let it get in her way. It was like watching what could have been my own, normal, childhood being lived out by another person.”

“So what are you thinking? About Melvin and the kids, I mean.”

“Well, I was thinking that should I quit the team, I could see about adopting them. I’d have to talk it over with Holly first, assuming that she does stay in this world. We would have to figure something out with Rena too; bringing her here would be the best option, being that Holly is the closest thing to a family she has left. That, and I think that she would love the education available here. If I leave the team on good terms, I don’t think I should have an issue getting the mayor to fast-track the adoption process.”

“You’ve had a lot of time to think this over, haven’t you?” He inquired, looking over the sunset that painted the rooftop in hues of red and yellow.

“There’s been more than a few nights were I go without sleep. Thinking about it tended to pass the hours more quickly.”

“Nah.” Another person said from behind them. The two Titans looked over their shoulders to see Holly, leaning heavily on her scabbarded katana, standing there with a lopsided grin and half her torso in a large brace that kept her from aggravating her shoulder injury. “I think it was pretty face that passed the nights.”

“Funny.” Raven retorted. “How’d you even get up here?”

“The stairs, how else?” Holly said as she lowered herself down to a sitting position.

“You dunce.” Raven rolled her eyes and looked back over the bay. “Didn’t the doctors tell you to keep off of your foot for a while?”

“Yeah, I’m off it now, aren’t I? But really, how else would I have gotten up here?”

“We have an elevator right next to the stairwell.” Cyborg answered, jabbing a finger in the general direction of the elevator.

“Oh, that box with the magic doors?”

“Don’t bother, Cy, I’ve tried to explain it to her before.” Raven turned to her inamorata. “How much of our conversation did you hear, by the way?”

“Well, I don’t think Rena would mind a younger sister and a few brothers. To say the least.”

“Not to intrude,” Cyborg started, “but Raven, are you having trouble sleeping?

“No, I’m sleeping fine. Why does it matter?”

“Just worried, that’s all. There’s more than a few things that can cause sleeping issues. And you said before that you spent a lot of nights awake...”

“Nah,” Holly spoke up from where she was sitting behind the two titans, “she meant that she…oh, umm, Raven, does he know…?”

“Yeah, he knows we’re together.”

“Oh, good. As I was saying, she spent most of those nights awake because I have…issues…with sleeping. She, uh, well, it helps when she stays up with me sometimes.”

“I see.” Cyborg said, his voice distant. “Regardless, how’s your shoulder holding up?” He drew his thoughts back to the conversation at hand.

“Not bad so far.” She said, thankful to have the subject changed. “By the way, who bandaged it? Neither of the Doctors answered me when I asked ‘em.”

“I did, actually. Did it while they were preparing for the surgery.” He said with a glimmer of pride shining through in his voice.

“Oh, then you saw…” Holly glanced at Raven.

“I saw a few scars, if that’s what you mean.”

“Yeah. It’d be appreciated if you kept quiet about those.” Holly said; it was now her turn to look away from the robotic man in shame.

“Sure I will, no worries about that. But it’s hard to hide a secret when it’s written across your body.”

“It’s a bit easier than you might think.”

“Alright, I’ll leave you two alone for a while now. Need a new circuit, so I’ll be in my room for most of the night. So if I don’t see you both tonight, goodnight then.”

“Thanks for helping me.” Holly said as she gave him a small wave and a grateful smile. Her legs were stretched out on the steel floor and every so often, she would unconsciously rub her fingers over the sore area where her skin stopped and the metal started.    _It’ll take some time to get used to it, but I guess it beats not being able to walk…_

“So,” Raven said after she saw the elevator door close with Cyborg inside, “you’re okay with having a prosthetic?”

“So far. You know how long until it take until it stops hurtin’?”

“You’ll have to ask one of the Doctors to answer that, but walking up two flights of stairs probably didn’t help.”  _Thank Azar that she doesn’t hate me for deciding to have the operation done. I don’t what I would do if she did –heck, timid would never live it down._

Holly stuck her tongue out at her and playfully scrunched her face at Raven “Will you be there to help out with the physical therapy? I don’t know when they want to start it–”

“Of course I will.”

“You sure? I don’t want to take you away from your team.”

“Mm, about that. Do you plan on returning to Kyoshi? If it’s possible, I mean…”

“Heh, go back and leave you here? I think the Warriors might kill me if I did.”

“Then what do you think about settling down? I’ve told you about Melvin and the kids, and I don’t know if you heard or not, but I don’t want them training to be superheroes. Not until they can decide for themselves, at least, and until they have a taste of what else they can do with their lives.”

“Thinking of starting a little family, are we?”

“It…has been a dream of mine ever since I met those kids. But one that I didn’t think I could ever achieve.”

“You have any idea how to get Rena to this world?”

“Yes, actually. But I’ll need you to help me out a bit with it –” Raven stopped speaking, distracted by the faint vibrating of the new communicator that Cyborg had given her. She plucked it off of her belt and, with a flick of her wrist, opened it to see the screen filled with nine faces crammed together.

.

*0o

.

“Are you sure that’s right?” One of the Kyoshi Warriors said to nobody in particular.

“Of course. She was showing me how to use it one day.” A small voice answered from behind the group of Warriors. Raven saw Rena climb on one of the Warrior’s shoulders to get in view of the camera.

“Ow.” Ko complained, bowing under the weight of Rena on her shoulders. “I’m still injured, ya’ know.”

“Stop bitching.” Yumiko shot back in a lighthearted tone.

“Hey, come on over here, Rena.” Yuna said from the side, shifting around to create a gap for the young girl in between her and Suki.

“How do we know if this is working?” Suki, who was holding Beast Boy’s old communicator, asked Rena.

“Well,” Yumiko spoke up, “if there’s a pale woman with a pretty sunset behind her on the screen, it’s probably working.”

Suki looked up and noticed Raven’s picture looking back at the Warriors. Smiling sheepishly, she squeaked out a quick “shut up” before greeting Raven.

“Hey, is, erm, did Holly make it?” Suki asked the sorceress who had yet to say a word, instead opting to watch their antics in amusement.

“Alive and well.” Raven shifted the communicator until the front facing camera was focused on her partner.

“Shit, did the fighting end that quickly?” Was Holly’s first response to seeing her fellow teammates.

“Heh, we had some help. Couple of those machines decided to stick around, too. We have to find and nab them still, but we wanted to know how you were first.” Ko answered with a worn, but relieved, expression.

“Help? Machines?” Holly started to ask, but Raven whispered in her ear that she would explain what she knew about it later on. “Oh, okay.” She corrected herself.

“Well, we’re glad to see you made it out good.” Yumiko stated. “We still have some ass-kicking to do here, so we’ll call you back once the villagers are settled in again.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Holly said, giving a nod and returning the Warrior’s waves of farewell before the screen went blank, and Raven flipped shut the communicator.

“Thank the spirits they’re alive.”

“Yeah,” Raven nodded in agreement. “Now let’s go, you need to learn what an elevator is before anything else.” Raven stated with a new confidence.

The duo walked in silence to the waiting elevator, with Holly steadying herself on her partner’s shoulder while she hobbled along on her new foot.

.

*0o

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope that wasn’t too long of a chapter. Speaking of which, if you guys think that the three longer chapters (15, 16, & 18) we’re tedious to read and should be split into two chapters each, do tell! I’m not quite sure myself.   
> Not too many more chapters left until things are wrapped up for this story. Then I’ll start the epilogue and Holly’s backstory (on fanfiction . net) whenever I can –although those will be updated more leisurely (although I’ll try finish them in less than a year…probably).


	21. Shadows Of My Heart

*0o

.

Raven watched in the hallway as the rest of the team went about their normal morning routine. Holly had slept on the couch that night, not having the spare room in the tower prepared for a guest and, despite Raven’s weak protests, not sleeping with the sorceress because she didn’t want to cause any issues with the team.

On the large couch, Cyborg was competing with Beast Boy in the latest release of their favorite videogame. While in the kitchen area, Starfire was preparing a special meal to celebrate Raven’s return and the arrival of a new friend. Robin, who was still out on his night shift, was due back to the tower any minute. And for Holly, she was still curled on the far end of the couch –her eyes half open as she watched the television screen in silent awe. On the floor below, in another smaller recreation area that the tower had, the few remaining Honorary Titans were in a heated discussion about Jinx cheating in their card game.

And there Raven stood, taking shelter in the shadow that covered half of the hallway entrance –secretly not wanting anybody to notice her presence.

Wearing a slight frown, she stepped out into the room, allowing the florescent lighting to flood over her. Without a sound she moved over to the kitchenette and withdrew her teakettle, which was covered in a thin layer of dust from it not being used, and started to brew a pot of tea. A few short time later, balancing two cups of tea and clutching the only textbook she had yet to read form cover-to-cover yet, she made her way around the back of the couch without either of the boys noticing her presence.

“Hey, look guys!” Beast Boy said, pausing the game and sliding himself over on the couch towards Holly –who he had caught staring at the television. “She’s awake!”

“Oh no you didn’t! I was about to win that match, you can’t just leave the game…” Cyborg went off on a half-fabricated rant towards Beast Boy before getting up and moving next to Raven. “Think I should call Rob back, or not yet?” He whispered to the demon halfling.

“I don’t particularly want you to. Although if he knows we didn’t, it would only make matters worse.”

“Alright, I’ll buzz him. You should probably go save her now.” He said, gesturing over to Holly –who was pressed into the couch as she shrank away from Beast Boy and Starfire, who were bombarding her with questions. Cyborg slide open the cover to the keyboard embedded in him forearm and excused himself into the hall so that he could call Robin without the background noise. Raven, meanwhile, slowly made her way over to the couch from behind. She reached over and handed the teacup and small dish to Holly, who took it gratefully and tried to give her a light peck on the cheek –but much to her dismay, Raven pulled away before could go through with it. She leaned on the back of the couch just behind Holly and quietly sipped her tea, listening to the questions that her teammates asked, and her girlfriend never got the chance to answer.

The situation, however, was salvaged by Cyborg’s arrival as usual. Peeling the two titans away from the girl, he stretched out his hand towards Holly and, in a booming voice, said: “I don’t think we ever met, officially, that is. I’m Cyborg, it’s a pleasure.” His hand was outstretched, and without more than a second’s hesitation, Holly grasped it and shook it shyly but firmly. Cyborg stepped to the side and Beast Boy was pushed forward.

“I’d like to thank you for saving my life back there, don’t really know what would’ve happened if you didn’t.” She said to him. Beast Boy nodded excitedly for the first time since Raven had rejected him, and proceeded to introduce himself. Soon after, Beast Boy stepped away and Holly was being embraced by a hug that left her breathless –so strong that the only reason it didn’t reopen her healing wound was the thin wisps of obsidian that fended off most of Starfire’s strength as she tightened around the newcomer.

Starfire released Holly from her embrace and stood erect before deeply bowing her head. “New friend, I wish to ask if you can forgive me for attacking you just before we brought you into this world. I was –”

“You were protecting a friend, Raven explained it to me. I don’t have any issues with that, so no problem.” Holly flashed a smile and the orange skinned girl.

“Oh, this is glorious! We shall begin the festivities tonight with the feast of food and then, perhaps tomorrow, a trip to the mall!”

“Mall?”

“Large market.” Raven said, sipping her tea carefully.

“Oh, yeah, if I can walk right by then.”

“Oh, no. Not a chance you’re going.” Cyborg boomed from behind Starfire. “Sorry Star, but she isn’t leaving this tower for a good while. Even though she skipped a whole lot of the healing process, thanks to Raven, she still shouldn’t be on her feet for very long at a time.”

“I see.” Starfire’s excitement was subdued only for a few seconds. “Then we shall make the trip at a later date!”

“…Sure?” Holly answered, not entirely aware of what she was getting herself into.

At that moment, Robin sauntered into the common room of the tower, his hair still slightly squished down from the helmet of his motorcycle. Slowly making his way over to the group, he stuck out his hand towards Holly for an excessively firm handshake.

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions for us, but if it isn’t too much trouble, I’d like to speak with my team first. Why don’t I show you to your room so you can get settled until we’re finished?” He said in his most official tone. Without giving her the chance to respond, he ushered Holly down the hallway –becoming far too close to the woman when he guided her than Raven was comfortable with. Although, perhaps her discomfort was more because she knew what was going to come when he came back.

.

*0o

.

Five minutes of awkward silence later, Robin strutted into the room. The arrogance that came with being the leader of a team of superheroes radiated off of him as he made his way to the couch.

“Team, we have something we need to discuss. I’d like to put it off, but I don’t think it can wait.”

Three pairs of curious eyes stared back at him, and one pissed off pair bored holes into his face. The rest of the team sat themselves on the couch, while Raven didn’t move from where she stood behind on it.

“Quickly, to bring everyone up to speed: when we arrived in the other dimension, we found Raven’s demonic side in control of her and she was killing –”

“Rob, she told me what happened back there already, no need to repeat it” Cyborg cut in, knowing that he was only reiterating the events of yesterday for his benefit.

_Thank you, Cy._

“When was this? I wasn’t aware she told you…” Robin questioned him.

“Last night, and I am free to talk to my friends –am I not?” Raven cut in.

“Right. She also admits to being in control of her demonic side when she was killing those people.”

_Screw you, Robin._

“But friend Raven, I thought that you could not control that.”

“Whoa, Raven, you knew that you were killing them?” Beast Boy nearly jumped from his seat, talking over Starfire. “But…then why?”

“It isn’t like they were innocent. They were soldiers, they knew the risks before going into the battle.” She responded curtly

“But, like, not killing is one of our only rules!”

“One of your only rules, perhaps.” She stared the changeling down, not once breaking eye contact.

“Soldiers or not, nobody deserves to be killed like that. You didn’t know them, what gives you the right to judge if they live or not?” Robin burst out, all the while Cyborg and Starfire remained silent. “They had families, Raven, children that will be without a father now. You should have considered the consequences of what you did before acting out.”

_Low blow, Robin, low blow._

“Note that you’re trying to guilt the embodiment of sin. And what are you trying to say here? That I should have let them kill me? Let them run me through with a spear and go on to kill my friends –who also had families of their own?”

Robin started to speak, but he choked on his own voice. “Raven, you know that isn’t what I meant.”

“Stop saying my _damned_ name like that.” Raven lashed out; for a brief instant, her eyes flashing crimson red. She inhaled sharply and squeezed her cup of tea before taking another sip.

“Rob, she was trying to protect her friends. She would have done the same for any of us if it ever came down to that.” Cyborg injected, and Starfire nodded vigorously in agreement.

“I would have done the same for any of you before I went to that dimension. Now –I’m having my doubts about that.”

“If fighting with criminals ever got to that point, then I’m not sure I would want you to.” Beast Boy stated in a near whisper.

“Do explain.” Raven urged.

“I mean, if things got that serious, I wouldn’t want you risk your own life just for mine. But –I also wouldn’t want you to have to kill to save one of ours either.”

“Friends,” Starfire’s voice laced with confusion and concern, “I do not quite understand. Back on Tamaran, risking your life to save a comrade’s is considered a great honor.”

Robin clenched his jaw at Starfire’s response.

_In for a penny, in for a pound._

“Well, from my understanding,” Raven continued, “some people here wouldn’t take a life; even if it meant saving the lives of those around you.”

“I just think that there were other ways you could have helped your friends.” Robin squeaked out.

“Not without placing them at a greater risk. And none that I saw that offered immediate solutions.”

Robin let out a sigh of frustration and pulled his hands through his thick hair. “Look, right now, I just want this to be solved. If you just swear to me, to us, that you’ll never do it again, I can accept that.”

“If a situation deems it necessary, I cannot say for certain what my demon will do. Or what I will do, for that matter. As I’ve told you, I found balance with Rage. And as such, I’ve released any control I have when that balance is threatened.”

“Balance, friend Raven? I was unaware that was possible.”

“Indeed, we have found something in which neither of us can afford to lose. Our agreement was that so long as Rage can protect it using any means necessary, she shouldn’t act up anymore.”

“I thought you meant you just accepted Rage as part of you, and gave her more freedom.” Robin, now calmed down somewhat, stated.

“I have. Although “freedom” is a very loose term.”

“What on Earth could you and Rage find something in common with?” Beast Boy exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air in exasperation.

“Not on Earth, per se. At least not this Earth.” Raven said, giving a small nod towards the hallway entrance where Holly stood, watching their argument as it had progressed. Holly took the cue and walked over. Her skin crawled as she felt the eyes of the five titans stare at her until she made it next to Raven.

“So…does this mean we don’t have to hide it?” She asked Raven nervously.

“Guess not.”

“Well then, thanks for the tea.” She followed through with a light peck on Raven’s cheek, the same one that Raven had pulled away from not a half hour ago. Holly took a spot next to Raven and, leaning heavily on the couch, wrapped her hands tightly around the still warm cup of tea, beaming the entire time as Raven lightly blushed.

“You two are…”  The changeling swallowed hard.

“In a relationship, yes.” Raven answered Beast Boy, who was slack jawed at the time.

“Oh, this is more glorious news than that of your return, friend Raven!” Starfire flew up in excitement and tried to embrace the two.

“That makes so much sense now!” Beast Boy blurted out and his clenched fists pulled at his hair.

“Raven, I’m happy for you, don’t get me wrong. But are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, considering your…past…” Robin asked cautiously, not loud enough such that Beast Boy or Starfire could hear him.

“She knows what I am.” Raven nodded to Holly, referring to her demonic side. “It was one of the first things I told her when we started this. She knows the risks involved.”

“Sure I do, although most of those risks are if I leave you.” Holly mentioned.

“Robin, it’s worked out quite well for the past months. And while I expect there to be unique difficulties that we encounter living in this world –I’m certain we can work past them. Besides, my powers are arguably more in control than ever, taking into account the amount of emotions I’ve been able to more freely show without unintended consequences.”

“Alright, I’ll try trust you on it. But it may get in the way of protecting the city –”

“Which brings up another point: my resignation.” As Raven said the words, the rest of the room seemed to go silent –as if the others knew to be quiet at that moment so they could hear what she was going to say. And when she did say it, she felt the four pairs of the titan’s eyes falling on her. Out of habit, her hood was encased in her energy and pulled down tightly over her head.

“Are you sure you don’t want to think that over a bit first?” Robin prodded.

“I’ve had well over a month to think about it seriously, and there is no single reason for it, either.”

She only received a handful of blank stares. “Must I explain myself?” She asked.

“I’ll admit, I’m a bit curious, too” Holly answered as gently as she could.

“Fine. The predominant reason is that I have too much to lose now –and should something happen that threatens my life or somebody else’s, I have no idea what Rage may do to prevent it.”

She stopped, but the silence between the teenagers pressed her to explain further.

“I’ve also…been having my doubts about what we do.” She thought for a moment before continuing. “When we came to this city, there was two or three serious super-powered villains. And even those villains could be dealt with by the city’s emergency services, albeit with great difficulty. Since we came, and claimed this city as our stomping grounds, the numbers have increased drastically. While we have certainly done good for the city and its’ people before, I’ve been led to the conclusion that we are also responsible for scores of supervillains and super-powered criminals that have come to this city. As for why, one can only speculate.”

It was Robin’s turn now to struggle to process what he was hearing. _Are we really the reason? Have we hurt them more than helped? Yes, there’s correlation, but is there causation?_  Those questions and a dozen more flashed through Robin’s mind.

“I am not telling you to quit, or to disband the team; because there still many things that you can do for this city. As for myself, however, I believe it’s time to pack away this costume and grow up.” Raven immediately felt a tinge of regret for saying it so bluntly. Not for the sake of her teammates, for she felt it was something they needed to hear in that way, but for Holly. The two organizations, the Titans and the Kyoshi Warriors, had shared more than a few similarities, and Raven just hoped that Holly wouldn’t take it to heart and think that Raven was also asking the other Warriors to “grow up” and stop protecting their small island. _Although, it’s likely that I’m just overthinking that._

The silence was broken up by a burning smell that filtered its way through the room. Immediately after Beast Boy pointed it out, Starfire frantically flew over to the kitchenette and nearly pulled the oven door off as she opened it. The rest of the Titans followed quickly behind, save for Holly, who tried to but was sat down by Cyborg before he rushed over to the oven.

Starfire pouted at she held her dinner in her hands –giving no recognition that the pan she held was at least four hundred degrees.

“Oh man, that looks pretty bad, Star.” Cyborg spoke up for the first time in a while.

“Indeed. It is not even worthy of a Grishnik. I knew I should have made the Stewed Grudthmec instead!”

“It’s the thought that counts, right guys?” Robin added, reaching for the phone behind him to dial for pizza delivery instead.

“Of course, I’m sure it would have been good, Star.” Beast Boy and Cyborg both chimed in, getting paper plates out of the cupboard.

Holly, still on the couch, tried to stand again. After a shooting pain and a sharp intake of breath, she sat back down again and patiently waited for Raven or Cyborg to come back.

.

*0o

.

Two hours later, once the pizza was long devoured and Holly was fast asleep, a black pool formed on the floor in the hallway of a slightly rundown apartment building in the outskirts of Jump City. Raven rose out of the pool and curled her toes when she felt the hard ground beneath her. She mentally double checked the apartment number before knocking four times on the peeling red paint on the door, the pound of her fist making a hollow echo in the desolate hall.

A moment later, the door swung open on its well-oiled hinges and petite woman, whose skin was only a shade lighter than Raven’s and hair was a flamboyant pink, opened the door.

“Raven! Good to see you’re back.” The woman said excitedly.

“Thank you, Jinx. May I come in?” Raven let her lips curve into a faint smile for a brief second.

“‘Course ya can.” Jinx stepped aside and Raven walked into the mid-sized apartment.

“Heh,” Jinx said as Raven eyed the inside of the apartment, “I’m a bit of a clean freak, I guess. Can’t really afford a better building and keep the other apartments, so I do the best I can with the inside.”

“Oh, no problem. It’s impressive, actually.” Raven said, seeing the sheen of the wax on the linoleum floor against the bright lamps in most corners. _It’s immaculate._ Raven thought, realizing that there wasn’t a speck of dust to be found in the minimalistic room.

“Want some wine? It’s rosé.” Jinx said, closing the door and making her way to the small kitchen.

“Thank you, but my body doesn’t metabolize alcohol very well.”

“Suit yourself. So’d you just drop by to say hello, or what?” Jinx asked as she poured herself a glass of wine and walked over to the sofa.

“Actually, I need your help.”

“Sure thing.” Jinx took a small sip. “Sorry about hauling-ass out of the tower, by the way. Once we heard you were back, Robin didn’t want anyone to see you yet. Didn’t really want to overstay our visit, so…yeah.”

“No problem with that, I’m sure his reasons were valid.”

“Righto. So whatcha need help with?”

Raven bit the inside of her lower lip. “Well, I need to break somebody out of prison.”

Jinx nearly spat out the wine, but kept her mouth clamped shut and forced herself to swallow. “You what?” She asked, shocked at the request, once her mouth was empty.

.

*0o

.

Another half hour later, and the peeling red door swung open again. Raven padded out of the room and into the hallway, letting out a sigh of relief, she opened up another portal and stepped through it –heading back to the tower.

Inside, Jinx plucked a key off her key ring and unlocked a small padlock that kept one of the drawers securely shut. Reaching in, she found the dusty H.I.V.E. communicator that she had kept ever since she left and depressed the small power button.

 _“But you can’t do that, Raven! You’re a hero…”_ Jinx remembered her conversation from not long ago.

_“Funny thing about that, I resigned today. I don’t know when it will be official, or announced to the public, but I don’t intend on staying here as a hero.” Raven said, watching Jinx refill the wine glass for the third time._

_“There’s no way it’s legal for you to have that wine, you know.”_

_“Any other day, I think I’d have a comeback to that.” Jinx slumped back on the couch and let Raven continue to explain her situation._

The screen on the communicator flickered to life, and Jinx dialed Gizmo from muscle memory alone.

“What on Earth does the master crud muncher want?” Jinx could hear the familiar voice as it spat at her through the receiver.

“I have a job for you.” Jinx said, trying to control her voice –although the wine was making it an uphill battle.

“We ain’t idiots, you know. Maybe you forgot that when you turned sides.”

“Hey, just hear me out, will ya’? I think you’ll like it.” Jinx snapped back at him.

A minute long pause.

“Fine, but you’re still a snot-brain.”

Jinx smiled a bit.

_Hope this will be enough to help you out, Raven._

 


	22. Unfinished Business

It had been three days since Raven had visited Jinx’s apartment and she had not heard from her since; granted, she had decided to wait until Jinx contacted her, not wanting to catch the pinkette in the middle of her work.

Perched on a stool in her room, she carefully folded two sheets of paper, stapled together on the corner, into equal thirds so they were the size of an envelope. Holly was with the doctors at the time, although Raven suspected that she was picking their brains about this world more than she was letting them fiddle with her prosthetic. She didn’t know where Starfire was, or Beast Boy or Cyborg, for that matter –she had been too focused on the letter that she just finished to worry over their whereabouts.

All she did know was that Robin hadn’t left the computer console for the past hour. She had been a spectator as she felt his emotions sway from one extreme to another, all with an underlying bitterness. From the intensity of his emotions, she assumed he was likely writing the case report for their encounter with Slade.

Raven stood up, the metal stool making a loud scraping sound as it got pushed back. She sucked in a breath, unsettled about what she had wrote, but knew that every word on the letter was true to herself; every sentence was her own belief, and if Robin didn’t agree with it, then so be it.

 _It may be a better idea to at least wait until Jinx calls me before I give it to him._ She pondered for a moment. The past days in the tower had been suffocating for Raven. She had actively avoided Beast Boy, and hadn’t been in the same room with him for more than a few minutes at a time since she revealed her relationship with Holly. _Perhaps I’m taking it too far, avoiding him like that. But…_ She cringed, thinking of the way he would blankly stare at her, not bothering to advert his gaze. _Well, at least he doesn’t do anything to Holly. Not that she’s even spoke to him since then. Maybe I’m being controlling, asking her to avoid him like that. He is harmless, historically, at least. Besides, I feel like he’s acting more like a lost puppy now than when Terra betrayed us, and if was awful then._

She pushed the thoughts of Beast Boy out of her head, and her mind shifted to the dilemma at hand: whether to give Robin this letter now or once Jinx had contacted her. This letter, which detailed the issues she’s found within the team and requested for him to officially resign her status as a titan. _Or perhaps I could give it to him after Rena is safely in this world, though I would rather he not know of her. Besides, then they may feel like I was taking advantage of the tower –using it until I no longer needed a shelter in Jump._

She reflected on the plethora of opinions that her emotions shared with her regarding the issue for a moment. She remembered the urging of Rage for her to give it to him now, along with wanting to give him a good beat down if he made an issue of it.

Love had a more passive take on it all, stating that whatever she did, there wouldn’t be any serious concerns with Holly; and that she couldn’t see any way to avoid the confrontation without making it worse.

Timid shared much of the same view, and Rude summed up her opinion with an elegant “Screw ‘em all.”

Wisdom, on the other hand, thought that it would make more sense to stay here –but felt obliged to say that there was no serious consequences to either decision. And said that if they did leave sooner than later, Cyborg and Starfire would hardly be the people to turn their back to them if they truly needed any help.   _Dammit, why am I overthinking this? That isn’t like me. Just get it over with, like Courage said._ Raven made a sharp turn out of her room and entered the common room. A pit in her stomach formed as she marched her way over to where Robin sat.

“Yes, Raven?” Robin said, turning around before she got halfway across the room.

She wanted to say something to him, but couldn’t think of anything worthy of breaking the deafening silence. When she got to within a few feet of him, she stopped and jerked her arm at him, clutching the letter tightly in her hand.

“What’s this?” He asked, pulling it out of her grip.

“Resignation letter.” She squeaked out.

Robin shook his head and handed it back to her. “I can’t accept this, I’m sorry.”

Raven cocked an eyebrow and felt Rage swell inside her. She suppressed Rage and grasped the letter as Robin pushed it back into her hand. “I wasn’t under the impression that I needed your approval.”

“You don’t. But I want you to think it over for a few days. You would be entering a civilian life as a teenager, not usually the age to think of a family.”

“Excuse me?” Raven challenged him, shocked that he knew about her plans. _Had…? No, Cyborg wouldn’t tell him, and Holly doesn’t even talk to him…_

“You made a phone call yesterday to the head of the monastery where Melvin and the others are.”

“You’re monitoring the phone calls now?”

“Only when they’re made and to where. It isn’t like I listened in; besides, I told all of you that in the security meeting after Terra left.” Oh, _I probably zoned out at that meeting…._

“Regardless, I don’t see how age could become an issue.”

“It’s just that most kids our age are going out to movies and studying for school. Not starting a family. It‘ll be hard for you guys.”

“Most kids aren’t fighting criminals either. I don’t believe it’s an issue.” _That job offer from the old book store should still be valid…though it’s been a few years, it’s still only that older man running it; besides, he knows and likes me well enough._

“There’s also the concern of safety…” Robing hesitantly brought up.

“I’m perfectly stable.” She clenched her fist beneath her cloak. “For example, you’re challenging my abilities and I haven’t killed you yet.”

Robin rolled his eyes beneath his mask. “Stable or not –no matter where you go now, you know the Justice League will be watching you.”

“As if they haven’t been already.” Raven nearly cracked a grin at the thought. “My disappearance likely gave them a good scare.”

Robin pinched the bridge of his nose. “You have no idea.” He let out a sigh remembering the speculation that was rampant in the Justice League when he notified them about the battle and consequent disappearance. “Look, despite the…differences…in our morals, you’ve fought alongside us for years. Whatever your decision is, I just don’t want to see you hurt yourself.”

“Taking risks is part of being human –according to Beast Boy at least.” She felt a tinge of guilt as she remembered when he said that almost a year ago, during the rare intelligent conversation with him.

“Speaking of which, he’s been really down recently –have you noticed that?”

“No,” she averted her gaze, “I filter out most of his emotions.”

“Hmm, alright. You sure about this?” He said, indicating the letter that hung in between Raven’s loose fingertips.

“Indeed.”

Robin nodded and took the letter back. “Just remember: if you need any help at all, we’ll be here.”

_And swallow my pride first? Slim chance of that._

 “On a parting note, I trust you to stop the Justice League from interfering with my life. Surveillance is understandable, even expected. But if they touch any of us, Holly or the children, I’ll hold you personally responsible once I’m finished with them.”

Robin’s blood ran cold at the mere thought of being on Raven’s bad side, and then worsened when he fully processed what she had said. “ _Once I’m finished with them”…don’t you mean ‘once I’ve killed them’?_ He knew that Batman had contingency plans if any of the Titans –or Justice League members, for that matter –turned against them; and even though Robin had read through, and even helped create, many of them, he doubted anything could stop Raven if they seriously wronged her.

“Just stay on the right side of the law and I think you’ll be fine.”

“No concerns about that.” Raven turned on her heel and left him there, her thoughts turning to how to tell Holly that she had just left the group providing a roof over their heads. She didn’t have long to mull it over, as she ran square into her as she rounded the corner to enter her room.

She explained the situation as best she could, but it still felt like a petty reason to leave the Titans so soon. _I don’t like the atmosphere here? How childish of me. Especially to tell that to Holly, whose been sucking it up and dealing with her situation until it got better for her entire life._

“Alright, but where do we sleep?” Holly said, an edge of concern with an undertone of willingness crept into her tone.

“Well, as a traumatized insomniac once told me: pick an ally.”

“Very funny.” Holly playfully pouted, trying to lighten the mood as the duo headed Cyborg’s room –Raven had wanted to bid Starfire and him goodbye before she left, although she knew that it wasn’t likely to be their final farewell. _I can pack away most of my books into a pocket dimension, maybe I’ll swing by one night to do it when they’re out on a call; then it shouldn’t be an issue. Perhaps tomorrow we should drop in on Jinx, she might have a spare apartment. Heaven knows how many that girl has, more than she can keep track of, probably._

.

*0o

.

Four days later, the Professor was standing in one of Jinx’s several apartments on the outskirts of Jump City. Beside him, Gizmo and Jinx stood, both of them puffing their chests out in pride of their most recent accomplishment.

“You’ve thinned.” That was all Raven could manage to think of when she saw him for the first time since she had their mishap with the dimensional portal. She mentally scolded herself for saying something so shallow.

“That tends to happen when you go through hell.” He shot back.

Raven pursed her lips. _Correcting him about that might not be the best idea._ She looked over the man; his sunken face just starting to show some color now that he’s had three meals a day for close to a week-even if it was prison quality food.

The Professor scoffed at her. “And why, exactly, did you risk your reputation to break me out of prison. You’re a Titan. If people catch wind of this your career would be finished.” He had been content, almost relieved, with staying in the prison for the past few days. And while he knew those feelings wouldn’t last very long, he was at least enjoying a reliable source of food and a shelter that didn’t leak in the lightest of rain showers –conditions that he had been deprived of shortly after becoming acquainted with Slade.

“I see you aren’t up to date with the current news. Jinx, if you would.” With that, Jinx walked over the small den behind Raven, snatched the remote off the coffee table, and flicked on the television that was behind Raven. She stepped aside so the Professor could see it and tuned into the news.

Allan Little, one of the more prominent local news reporters, filled the screen. “A new statement from Teen Titans leader Robin was released just hours ago. This marks his first public statement since the sudden resignation of Teen Titans member Raven, which today he claims was a result of “differing views on the future of the team”. This was all that he said, and promised to give more detailed information after further discussions with all parties involved. Rumors are abound that soon, perhaps within the next two weeks, the team will be recruiting for a new member to fill the gap left in the team’s ability to defend the city. Please keep in mind that these are purely rumors, and the Titans have yet to address them publicly. In other news, authorities are concerned about if the Titans will be able to resolve the mass prison escape that happened this afternoon –” The television screen flickered off when Jinx pressed the power button again.

_Mass prison break? Seriously, Jinx, did you have to do it that way?_

“You quit the team.” The Professor restated what he just saw, pressing for more information with an inquiring gaze.

“Indeed. I found something more important to me. Which bring us back to why you’re standing here.”

“Look, if kidnapping me is your idea of revenge, you’re mistaking. I built that machine for me to use. For me, not to kidnap you. And frankly, you didn’t have to spend weeks on the edge of starvation, ive more than paid that accident three months ago.” The Professor backed towards the door, jabbing a finger accusingly at Raven as he did, only to turn around and find an obsidian wall blocking the door.

“No, you misunderstand. If I wanted revenge we wouldn’t be wasting time here talking about it. Rather, I need you to do something for me.” Raven gazed into his eyes, watching in amusement as he awkwardly looked away.

“Not happening, lady. Now if you let me go now, I can make it back in time for supper.”

“You’d rather go back to the prison?” Jinx burst out, angry that he would turn himself back in.

“Free meals. Free roof. Besides, might get on their good side if I go back on my own.

“You’re bloody insane.” Gizmo shouted at the older man.

“You will be helping me, let me assure you of that.” Raven cut her two accomplices short. “What I need is the transporter that the titans built to be fully functional; able to work without another machine to jump-start it. Along with it being completely accurate: no chances of it failing.”

“Maybe you went mad when you were in that world, but what makes you think that I would risk being caught, and have my sentence lengthened on a different charge, just so you can go back to whatever screwed up place you got back from?”

“You misunderstand me again.” Raven dug her fingernails into her palm in an effort to restrain herself. “My motives are irrelevant to you. But I can offer you the chance of seeing your daughter.”

The Professor fell silent, his eyes wide in disbelief. “You can do that? You better not be playing with me…”

“Rest assured, she’s alive and well. I trust you’ve refined the portal design, such that there’s no chance of error?”

“Always a chance of error, lady. But there is with anything, even medicine.”

“Very well. I’ll trust your judgment, and suggest you start your work immediately.”

The Professor gave a broad smile. “Can I eat first?”

Raven rolled her eyes and a few minutes later, went to help Jinx make their meal. As the two woman cooked, Gizmo was making quick sketches of the new components that were added to the machine as the Professor recalled their dimensions from memory.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this? Letting all of us stay here, I mean.” Raven whispered as she watched Jinx gather up the few spices she kept stocked in the apartment.

“’Course I am. Not like I’m using this place right now, be a waste to leave it empty.”

“Thank you again. I’m still receiving my allowance from the city, by the way. At least for a few more months. So however much you think would be appropriate…”

“Nuh-uh. You’re a guest here, don’t you dare try paying for anything.”

“But it would be –”

“Hush. Now go get Holly if you just plan on standing there.”

Raven found her further protests completely ignored by the pinkette, and turned to leave the kitchen.

“Oh, wait!” Jinx caught her sleeve before she could leave and double checked that the Professor was still busy with Gizmo.

“What’d you mean you can get that old guy’s daughter?”

“Oh, yes. He’s Holly’s father.”

“…What the shit?”

Raven shrugged in mild amusement. “Don’t say a word to him, I want to get Rena back with us before we tell him anything.” She paused. “Oh, and don’t tell Holly either. I don’t know how she’ll react to it; and I’d rather tell her myself just before we tell him.” She nodded towards the man sitting at the table

“Speaking of which, why’s she been in her room for so long? I didn’t think her physical therapy exercises would be for hours…”

“It isn’t for hours. She might’ve spaced out again, nothing to worry about.” Raven said before pulling away from Jinx and disappearing into her and Holly’s bedroom.

 _Spaced out? Well that sure as hell doesn’t sound good. Must happen a lot for Raven not to be worried._ Jinx thought, staring at the bedroom door before it drifted shut again before snapping out of her thoughts and returning to their meal. They were having ravioli with tomato sauce that night –simple and cheap, and nearly impossible for even Jinx to mess up.

Holly stumbled out of the room as the others had just began to eat. Sitting down with a grunt and a glance at the Professor, if only to acknowledge his presence. After eating, she cleared her dishes and went back into the bedroom –where she continued on with the physical therapy regime that the doctor demanded.

.

*0o

.

“Dammit, you filthy pieces of metal, die already!” Ko yelled out in frustration as one of the few remaining Sladebots ducked behind a tree, just before a fan struck the tree behind where it was just standing. A few yards to her left, Masa was circling around the tree in attempt to out-flank him, and to the right, Yumiko was doing the same thing. Yumiko threw a stone at it from her hiding place behind some shrubs, and, once the machine was focused of Yumiko, Masa leapt forward with astounding speed and ran the robot through with her katana.

“Well, I thinks that’s the last of ‘em. Last one in the villager’s reports, at least.” Ko looked over her fellow Warriors, and their worn faces spoke for them. “Okay. Let’s head back.”

The trio started down the trial to the village, where the last of the refugee ships waited to dock and offload the villagers who had fled from the island just days before. The three went over to the battlefield, or the “killing field”, as Suki dubbed it. There, a dozen Warriors and villagers worked in silence, lifting the bodies on stretchers and carrying the deceased away from the blood soaked grounds.

The schoolhouse was due to reopen the next day, and the market was technically open already, but the merchants wouldn’t be coming back to the island for another several days at the very least. The atmosphere in the village and across the island was a mix of relief, joy, and mourning. The families of the militiamen, of those who had been killed, busied themselves with marking out a small hill overlooking the bay to bury their late husbands, sons, and brothers in. The only earth bender still on the island was put to work cutting out the gravestones, and other than ridding the island of the few remaining robots, the Warriors were also tasked with identifying and removing the dead, along with the help of some volunteers.

Regrettably, it was a much more difficult task than they first thought. Because of how the Warriors trained the militiamen, each one only knew thirty or forty of their comrades personally, and they were all in the same rank. But on the killing field, the deceased from each rank –be it the first or eighth –laid scattered along the front line, intermingled with their fellow villagers and enemies alike. Among the rows of bodies, a few of the islanders wandered, occasionally stooping down to check if they knew the person they were stepping over, or pulling off whatever personal items were on the body and placing them on the long wooden tables that sat in the center of the main village. There, the rest of the families sorted through the items. There, the widows and children, the parents and siblings of the fallen, had gathered around and clutched the possessions of their loved ones closely to their chests. There, those who had lost the most important thing to them wept in grief –but knowing that their sacrifice had not been in vain.

“Messed up, isn’t it?” Suki said, leaning against Yuna as they both stood on the edge of the killing field, taking a rest from clearing away the bodies.

“Because this was all useless?” She answered, unable to take her eyes off of one of the corpses.

“Yeah, but also how it should have been us. None of the Warriors died, but we were the only ones prepared to.”

“No, I think they all were. Or they all knew it could happen, at least.”

“But still. We were supposed to protect them. And yet here we are, alive and well while they’re waiting to be buried.”

“I know, and feel the same way. But maybe it was meant to be. Maybe we were saved so that we could protect the island in the future.”

“They’d be damn near fools if they tried to attack again. Hell, their own soldiers would probably desert them.”

“You know, there was a time when you didn’t swear like that.”

“There was a time when we didn’t have to kill either.”

“Fair enough.” Yuna pushed against her superior until Suki was standing on her own two feet. Without a word, they both picked up the stretcher and started heading to where Akiko was, as she rolled a body into a wheelbarrow and carted the Fire Nation soldier to a nearby mass grave.

.

*0o

.

For the nights following the battle, the Warriors had been too busy to notice the whereabouts of Rena. She had helped set up the tables in the village center, and had been with the Warriors when they contacted Raven, but for the better part of her days, she wandered around the island aimlessly. On the first night after the battle, she slept in the small graveyard set aside for former Warriors and their families. Huddled with a thick blanket around her, she let her solitude overtake her and occupied her mind with remembering her father, and how reliable he had been when he worked the fields of their small mountain farm. She thought of her sister, Hiroko, and how one day she came back home from a prison with Holly in tow, no older then than she was now. She remembered the summers when she would watch Hiroko do the same move over, and over again, with Holly repeating them next to her mentor until her supple muscles committed them to memory. She recalled her fond memories of when Holly would play with her while Hiroko was standing watch in one of the further away villages, and when Hiroko would come back, Holly would start her own training session and Rena would trek back to the schoolhouse.

Rena let herself silently cry, not knowing if she would ever see the last person that remained in her family, but still hoping that what Raven said, that they would come back to get her, was even possible. She knew that Raven wasn’t from this world, perhaps not consciously, but deep down, she knew. She also knew that she had come to accept Raven as her family too, and feared losing her nearly as much as losing Holly. The nights after that, she slept in Ko’s cabin, finding temporary relief in the comradery that the Warriors shared, for they were as much of an extended family to her as Holly and Raven had been her immediate family in the days since her father’s death.

.

*0o

.

Oh, so yeah, the way I was going to work the backstory was that Hiroko would become acquainted with Holly, and bring her back to the island –eventually to train her as a warrior, but initially so her parents could care for her. Thus, Holly becomes unofficially adopted by Hiroko’s parents, who have Rena shortly after Holly starts her training. So those three are all interconnected and whatnot. On a side note, I have two other ideas for stories, and although they’re in their infancy, I think they could become a decent story at least. However, whether or not I write them is up for debate. And honestly, I’m not sure how soon I’ll be able to start the epilogue / backstory, they may have to wait a while until college applications are figured out (or until I quit and go to a trade school –which is, in my own opinion, a real and respectable option). Oh, and if I think I’ll never get around to writing those two other stories, I will put up the ideas at the end of the epilogue –on the off chance that somebody else will write them. Or I could send them to you if you’d like. Looking back, that just sounded really arrogant. Kind of like “I have these awesome ideas (they’re mediocre at best) and think that other people should come to me if they want to see them.” Which, while sounding arrogant, isn’t quite right. I’d just like to see them happen, and think they would be interesting to read.

So, umm, hope you enjoyed, R&R! (if you want…)


	23. What Scares You Most

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, last chapter and all. Exciting, for me at least. I'd like to just thank everybody who reviewed – it means a lot because it tells me if you're enjoying the story or not. I remember somebody (probably famous) saying that to write is to reveal an extremely private piece of yourself to a potentially endless amount of people, and that writing also allows you to show a little piece of your life to somebody thousands of miles away, or even generations away.  
> So, uh, yeah. I'll stop preaching and leave a friendly remind that it is never too late to review on a story. Even if that story years old and you think the author would never even see it. Trust me, we see all. And no, it isn't creepy to leave a late review. I heard somebody say that once and realized that I often used that as an excuse –maybe not consciously, but I did think for a while.  
> If you skipped reading above, I said that writing can bridge generations and it's never too late to review. Enjoy!

“Seriously? I know you stole it, but you put it in the living room?” Raven stared at Jinx, Gizmo, and the Professor in disbelief. It had been a full week since Raven moved in with Jinx, and in that time Holly and Raven had been doing the chores around the apartment while the others worked tirelessly.

“What else would we do?” Jinx defended herself, gesturing wildly with her arms. Across from her, Raven stood with her arms crossed and eyeing the transporter which stood behind the trio.

Raven sighed in frustration. “Did you know about this, too?” She turned to her girlfriend.

 “They needed me to distract you for a few hours so they could bring it in.” Holly gave a guilty nod and her face flushed a shade of pink

“Really?” She seethed at Jinx. “And what if Robin finds out about this?”

“Well it ain’t stealing if he built it to start with, is it?” Jinx jabbed a finger at the Professor, who was standing behind her.

Raven shook her head. “Whether this was a bad idea or not, when will it work?”

“Whenever you’re ready, actually” Gizmo spoke up. “Prefabbed the extra parts that we needed beforehand and installed them while you an’ Holly were out.” The Professor nodded in confirmation.

“I see.” Raven turned to face her partner. “Any reason not to do this right now?”

“Nothing comes to mind.” Holly’s voice brimming with hope. Both her and Raven had truly missed Rena, despite it being just under two weeks since the battle and their consequent separation –although one would be hard pressed to get Raven to admit it.

“Well alright then!” Jinx gave a shout and sauntered over to the machine. The Professor had shown her how to turn it on, and Gizmo had preset and locked all the coordinates to the other dimension. And so, with a grunt and a strained muscle, Jinx pulled back the lever that powered up the machine. 

“Really, that’s all it takes to turn it on?” Holly asked the group.

“Anything is easy to turn on, pain in the ass to get it working right though.” Gizmo shot back. “We just let her do the showy stuff, said she’d get off my back for not turning goody-two-shoes for a while if we did.”

“She pesters you about that?” Raven asked him. “I was under the impression you didn’t talk to her after that.”

“’Course we talk, numbskull. Not about business or anything, but she’s still like a sister to me an’ Mammoth.”

“I see, apologies.” Raven mumbled.

“Hey! You just going to stand here or are we going in?” Jinx raised her voice from the other side of the room. The light purple vortex flickered a few times before stabilizing, and created a low humming sound that reverberated throughout the room.

“I don’t believe that’s necessary.” Suki stood inches away from Jinx, clad in her face paint and Warrior’s uniform –her uniform that was still covered in dried blood stains from both the battle and cleaning up the aftermath.

“What the hell? Who’re you?” Jinx jumped up and nearly tripped when she landed a good five feet away from where she was standing. Suki’s hand shot to where her fans were wedged in her belt when she saw the pink energy spark around Jinx’s hands.

“No worries, Jinx. She won’t hurt you. Probably.” Holly spoke up from the couch. And turned to Suki. “That was fast.”

“Indeed. This thing showed up right next to the dojo where we were taking a break. You better have come for Rena.”

“Yeah, we did.”

“Good. She’s been really bad since you guys left; spending way too much time with Ko than is healthy. Wandering about the island a lot, too. She hasn’t been herself.” She paused looked the portal up and down. “Will this stay open for a while?”

“It will be stable until we shut it down. I’d stake my life on that.” The Professor answered proudly.

“Then I’ll be right back.” Suki stepped back towards the portal and let the purple bolts fly at her. “Oh, and I will make it through this alive?” She asked, stopping and looking over her shoulder.

“You made it here fine, didn’t you?” Jinx countered. A second later, the low hum of the transporter was a high pitched scream, and then it returned back to its humming when Suki was no longer in this dimension.

.

*0o

.

“Workin’ like a charm. Gotta’ hand it to ya’, Professor man, you do good work.” Gizmo looked admiringly at the machine, proud of how well their week long project was working smoothly. It had been ten minutes since Suki went back to her own world, and the portal sat there working flawlessly, almost taunting them as they waited for the Kyoshi Warrior’s return.

“Thank you. Now, Raven, when can I meet –?”

“Ah, yes. Soon.” Raven could feel the discontent radiating off the older man. _Of course he would be eager to meet his daughter, the last reminder of his late wife that he had. But there’s more important business at hand._

A few minutes later, the portal let out its painfully high pitched tune again and Suki stepped out. The purple bolts of energy still arcing from the machine to her body until she was several away. Then came Rena, her small frame almost completely shrouded by the energy for several moments as she stood there. Suki stood in silence for a few second, and gave Holly and Raven both fleeting smiles –her own silent greeting to them.

Rena recognized Raven instantly, being that her appearance had hardly changed since they last saw each other. It took an extra half second for her to spot Holly, who was wearing a gray pullover and sweatpants and sitting on the couch. An instant later, the two of them were captured by the tight –yet fragile –embrace of the youth.

“Hey now, my shoulder isn’t quite healed yet, you know.” Holly complained, but smiling broadly the entire time.

“Shit. I didn’t think I’d live to see Raven all mother-like an’ such.” Jinx commented. She, and everybody else present, were watching them.

“It has happened before, you know.” Raven retorted.

“Sure, but I never seen it. In person, at least.”

“Speaking of which,” Holly said softly, “you said something about meeting Melvin and the others once Rena was here. Do you have a date for that? Or…”

“The monastery said to come by at any time.”

“Oh, that’s good.” The trio broke apart, and Rena started to look at her surroundings –her eyes wide in awe at what she saw in the small apartment.

Holly stood up, pushed her hands together in front of her, and bowed deeply to Suki, who returned the gesture.

 “Come visit once in a while. We’ll miss you both.” Suki said, her emotions showing through her mask of face paint as she bade them farewell, not wanting to linger in a different world. An instant later, she had disappeared back through the portal and returned to her home world.

.

*0o

.

“Please, I need to see her.” The Professor had cornered Raven and dropped to his knees. “Even if it’s a picture, or…or something. Please, I just need to see my daughter.”

She pulled away from him as he tried to reach out for her shoulders. It was just after dusk, and Suki had left not three hours ago. “Ehh, now?” Raven figured that Rena would still be looking at Holly’s prosthetic in the living room.

The Professor nodded his head vigorously, and trailed behind the sorceress when she signaled for him to follow.

 _Damn, I didn’t have the chance to talk to Holly about this yet._ She rounded the corner and saw Holly on the couch with Rena. _I can only hope she takes it well._ A pit formed in her stomach as she got closer. Leaning on the back of the couch, she hesitated, and said: “Rena, could you give us a moment?” She was met with two confused looks.

“Thank you.” Raven said as the young girl pushed herself off the couch and went to search for Jinx or Gizmo.

“What’s going on?” Holly inquired, puzzled as she glanced back and forth between Raven and the Professor.

Raven sucked in a breath. “…We should talk…”

.

*0o

.

“What the hell, Raven?” They were standing in the bedroom. Raven had just told the Professor about his daughter, and consequently, Holly about her father. “You don’t just lay something on me like that!” Holly was shouting, her fists clenched in rage. “Oh god, oh spirits…h-how long have you known?”

“Ah, a month or two?” The only time Raven remembered feeling fear on this scale was when she faced Trigon –and even when that happened, she knew then that if she screwed up she wouldn’t have to deal with the aftermath.

“Which is it?” Holly’s voice cracked.

“Two.” Raven couldn’t meet her partner’s gaze.

“How could you not tell me? Just…why?” She was on the brink of tears.

“I…” Raven bit her lower lip. “I wasn’t sure how you would react. And it wasn’t long after we just started dating…and…I thought would lose you if…”

“So you keep it from me? Great idea. Not like I’ll ever find out!”

Raven squeezed her eyes shut and didn’t reply. She couldn’t reply.

A minute of eerie silence. Behind the closed door of the bedroom, she could hear the Professor shuffle in the living room and Jinx hush Gizmo before he could comment.

Holly wrenched the door open and stormed past Jinx, Gizmo and Professor, who were sitting at the table. The slam of the apartment door reverberated in Raven’s head.

 _Well, that could have gone better._ Raven pushed her hands through her hair and pulled it back. _Will she come back? Did I fuck up so bad that we’re over with? Oh Azar, this can’t be happening._

.

*0o

.

“Oh shit. Shitty shit, shit shit.” Love was wide eyed and fiercely pulling at her hair.

“Nice vocabulary.” Rude didn’t say anymore, taking the hint from Rage’s glare.

“Shit!” Love screamed.

“To be fair,” Wisdom pushed up her glasses, “we accepted the consequences when we decided not to tell her. Whether we knew how drastic they would be or not.”

“Yeah, and I’m the insensitive one.” Rude huffed.

“You are.”

“Seriously, you two? We need to do something before it’s too late.” Courage stepped in between Wisdom and Rude.

Love was crying against Timid, while Rage stood a few feet away, biting the inside of her cheek. _Well, hate to agree with Courage, but we have act sooner than later…_ Rage unfolded her arms, which were crossed over her chest, and slowly walked away. _Well, they aren’t doing anything about this …_ Rage frowned, not displeased with Love’s state of mind, and determined to change it for the better.

.

*0o

.

Raven’s thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door. Jinx pushed it open and stepped into the room, fear radiating off of her.

“Uh, Raven, I don’t want to intrude…” Jinx looked at the figure standing in the corner, with four crimson eyes glaring back at her from beneath a hood. “Right, so, y’know, not intruding here…”

“What…what do I do?” Rage’s voice lacking its signature venom.

“Oh, wow, umm, well I’ve never been too good at that kind of stuff…Stone, erm, Cyborg, is though. I think.” Jinx edged herself back out the door.

“Not enough time. Maybe I’ll see him after.” Rage started towards the door.

“Whoa, whoa. No, you can’t go out there like that!”

“Why?” The venom returned to Rage’s voice as she stared down Jinx.

“Uh, well what if the Titans find you like this? This gets out, you can throw away having a normal life, you know!”

“…Point taken.”

“So, I’m gonna call Cyborg, an’ I’m sure he’ll know what to do, okay? Just stay here, I think, right? Yeah, right, just stay here!” Jinx slammed the door shut, wide eyed and petrified from fear.

Jinx was still collecting her thoughts when Rena pushed past her and went straight into the room.

_Aww shit. Raven wouldn’t hurt a little girl, right? But then again, is this Raven? She always did refer to her demon as a separate being…but, she seemed calm, almost. Goddammit, Stone would know what to do, gotta call Stone, ah, Cyborg, dammit, wait, do phones even work with their communicators?_

Jinx pushed open the door again to see if Rena was among the living, and was surprised to see Rage crouched down to the girl’s eye-level and patting the top of her head.

“No, nothing to worry about, honey. Just a little miscommunication.” Jinx heard Rage saying to Rena, her voice soft and kind once more. “Of course she’ll be back, I hope. But right now, I have to fix this, okay? So stay with Jinx and don’t talk to Gizmo, he’s no good, that one.” Raven, still in her demonic form, stood up and walked towards the pinkette.

“Anything happens to her, I’ll skin you alive.” Jinx gulped as she heard the threat, and an instant later, the demon had morphed through the walls and was out into the city.

 _So much for her staying here. Better warn Cyborg not to attack her. What is today…Tuesday? Yeah, Tuesday, that means he’s out on patrol tonight. Okay, this shouldn’t be too hard. Unless…_ Jinx shivered at her next thought and looked at Rena.   _But I like my skin on me, in one piece and the like…_

.

*0o

.

“Really? Oh man.  Sure thing, Jinx, I’ll keep an eye out…yeah I know, don’t attack, like I’m crazy enough to anyway...Yeah, don’t worry about that, this will stay between us.” Cyborg hung up his communicator and slid the panel on his forearm back over the screen. He took a sharp turn at the next intersection and headed towards Jinx’s apartment. Only knowing the address because it wasn’t far from one of the more commonly targeted jewelry stores in the city.

.

*0o

.

Jinx sat strumming her fingers nervously against the wood table, her head propped up by her other hand. Across from her, Rena sat, and on the couch was Gizmo and the Professor – who was looking around nervously, as if this was completely his fault.

“Shouldn’t we do something?” The Professor asked to nobody in particular.

“We did. We called Cyborg.” Jinx gave a weak answer.

“Besides,” Gizmo spoke up, “if you want to get killed by that crud-muncher you go right ahead. Keep us out of it.”

Rena frowned at him. “She wouldn’t kill him.”

“You want ta’ find that out, kid?”

Rena let out a “humph” sound and went to stand up, only to be stopped by Jinx.

“Trust me, fights will happen with relationships. They need to figure this thing out on their own.” Jinx coaxed Rena into sitting back down, and the group returned to their awkward silence.

.

*0o

.

Raven shot out from an alleyway, no longer in her physical form, but as a large bird made from her soul-self. She rounded the bend too widely and nearly crashed into the side of opposite building, but phased through it before checking out the next alley.

 _Dammit, I won’t find her until dawn if I do this._ She saw the Titans Tower looming in the distance between two high-rises. _No, no, must do this on my own. Think…her emotions right before she left, I could lock onto those…but that isn’t terribly accurate…t’hell with it, I can try anyway…_ Raven morphed back into her physical form and fell a few feet to the concrete below. _Ouch, should probably pay more attention._ She brushed herself off and stood up. She shut her still crimson eyes and focused on the flow of nearby emotions. She felt the giddy joy of two new lovers walking out of a bowling alley, the helplessness of a homeless man a few blocks away, and the concern of a man going double the speed limit down the sparsely populated road.

 _Concern, is that…?_ Her eyes flew open. _Cyborg! Maybe…no, no, this can’t get worse. Jinx is right, if I’m caught this is all over. They’ll probably shut me up in that safe room again…_ Raven morphed back into her soul-self and took to the sky.

She found a new spot, backtracking to where Cyborg had already passed by, and perched herself on top of a dumpster behind an old tattoo parlor. Quieting her mind once more, she felt a trace amount of fear from a man waiting in the tattoo shop, a wave of despair and an undertone of betrayal from a lone person in the next alley, and a passive frustration from a parent pulling his son away from a small convenience store.

 _Despair…despair…that could be her…oh Azar, does she think I betrayed her?_ Raven let her soul-self wash over her body and she phased through the building that separated her from this unknown person.

She grinded to a halt before hitting the wall of the opposite building after entering the next alleyway, and changed back into her physical, although still demonic, form. With a sigh of relief mixed with apprehension, she approached the figure huddle on the ground –a shiny titanium foot giving away her identity.

 _Oh Azar, she must hate me…_ Raven reached her hand out towards her, and saw Holly back away a few inches. Raven stood there for a few minute before sitting down, her cape encasing her entire body –save for her head. She began to speak, letting her words pour out and numbing her brain for just a minute.

“I realized that you were his daughter when Robin first contacted me.” Raven looked up, and saw Holly looking at her out of the corner of her eye. _Well, at least she’s listening._ “I initially didn’t tell you because it wasn’t confirmed, and it was only based on how different your name was from the others in your world. Then I remembered how you could read English as it’s written in this world, and it began to piece together.”

Raven paused to collect her thoughts, and continued. “Perhaps I should have told you then, but in truth, I’m not sure I would go back and change that, knowing how you reacted to this. I thought you might react…badly, to finding out. Although I never expected it to be this drastic. Regardless, I…uh…I think I feared losing you. I had come to know and care for you, and I can’t say I’ve ever felt for someone this way before. I do, of course, care for most of the Titans, in more of a sisterly way, and the children, in a motherly way; but you were first person to make me feel like a normal person. The first to make me forget my past, if just for a while, and enjoy life for what it is. And you helped me come to terms with myself. Having a civil conversation with Rage in control right now should serve as poof to that.”

“You feared losing me?” Holly lifted her head up and saw Raven’s four eyes shake as the demon nodded. “Hell,” Holly continued,  “finding out about that was surprising, but that’s not why I ran. I ran because you kept it from me. I came into this weird ass world with only you, and I couldn’t figure out why you would lie to me for so long. I just needed to be alone, I suppose, and think it over.”

“Just time to…think it over?

“Yeah. I mean it was quite a blindside for me.” Holly lowered her knees from her chest and sat cross-legged.

“Oh. I thought you were going to leave me.”

“I see. So…uh, how much longer are going to be all demon-like?”

“Oh, sorry.” Raven slowly changed herself back to normal. 

“We should go back.”

“Yes.” Out of the corner of her eye, Raven saw the T-car slow down as it passed them, but continue on without stopping. “Um…what do you think would happen if Robin found out about this?”

“He’d probably be shitting himself blind right about now.”

Holly’s answer elicited a small chuckle from Raven, and the two stood up to start walking back to the apartment. Raven offered her hand to Holly as they rounded the corner out of the alley and went on the main sidewalk. Holly, after a few seconds of hesitation, took it and squeezed it for an instant, as if to make sure it was real.

“Hey, promise me that we’ll talk things over first. You know, before running through the city as a demon. Okay?”

Raven grinned out of relief. “Yes, we will. So long as you don’t scare me that bad again.”

“Raven, scared? I can’t say I’ve seen that before.”

“I believe you were being trampled by soldiers last time it happened.”

“How about before that?”

“I believe I was about to destroy the world.”

“Oh, that’s nice. So scaring you is a bad idea?”

“Probably.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. You know, once we get Melvin and the kids we can’t leech off of Jinx anymore.”

“I know. And to be frank, I’m not sure what we’ll do for an apartment. I’ll be going to one of the smaller book stores tomorrow for a job.”

“You sure you can get a job just like that?”

“I’ve known the owner since coming to this world. He’s actually offered me a position before. Kind older man, I think he’s hoping to retire.”

“Well it’s a starting point.”

“Indeed. We might be able to talk with the Mayor, too. Perhaps arrange an affordable apartment until we get on our feet.”

“You can just arrange an appointment with him like that?”

“With the Mayor? Sure. He actually hates politics, so he’s usually happy to get away from it over a dinner or something.” Raven gave a shrug as they walked towards the apartment.

“A dinner or something? You mean like a ball?”

“It could be. But I thought you hated dancing?”

“I do, but if I remember, you still owe me a dance. You know, from that whole ‘I was busy torturing a guy’ incident.”

“If I agree to this, no stabbing people there.”

“Fair enough.”

“Alright, it won’t happen for at least a few weeks after I get this job, you know.”

“So I can’t meet Melvin and the kids until then?”

“No, actually I think it would be good for Rena to meet them as soon as possible. We’ll just have to visit them at the monastery for now.”

“Sounds good to me.” Holly nodded and turned her head to look at her. Raven took the opportunity to yank on Holly’s wrist and pull her closer, aiming for a small kiss. Inevitably, Raven’s parted lips only met Holly’s hand, and she was gently pushed away.

“I’m still not happy with you, you know.”

"Phooey." Raven gave a fake pout, but she knew that there could have been far worse outcomes to tonight, and that she wouldn't have to face this new life she was about to start alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I should note that while I'm reasonably pleased with how this ended, there were a plethora of other ending that were being considered up until about the 18th chapter. What I mean by this, is that there was one other main ending, along with several smaller ones that their elements were worked into the story as a whole. This other ending had Holly being separated from the phalanx, and eventually Holly being overpowered and being killed before Raven could reach her. This loss means that Love is no longer able to balance Rage, and Rage massacres the majority of the Fire Nation force, and then proceeds to destroy the portal. Eventually after all of that fun stuff, the last chapter / scene would be Raven speaking with Trigon, bargaining for Holly to be brought back. Other options also expanded on Robin's moral dilemma with Raven killing, and potential issues that Robin may have had with Raven and Holly being in a relationship. Oh, and intertwined in there were many very creative threats. R&R.


	24. Poison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue, chapter one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First portion of the epilogue--which will mostly be slice-of-life themed fluff focusing around Raven and Holly's life.

“My Azar, I feel like a doll in this.” Raven stood in center of their bedroom, while Holly pulled up the zipper on the back of Raven’s dark violet dress. “I can hardly move, too.”

“Oh hush. You look handsome in it. Respectable…almost.” Holly responded with a playful grin as she finished with the zipper and straightened out the upper ridge of the strapless dress. “C’mon, now do me.” She stood up and held the edges of her own garment behind her, waiting for Raven to zip it up. “You know, I’m impressed you could get a dinner arranged with the Mayor so soon.” She said as Raven fiddled with the zipper.

“I told you it wouldn’t be hard. He’s loves taking breaks from his job, after all.”

“Must be. How are we were going to pay for a fancy restaurant like this, anyway?”

“I thought I told you. Regardless, the allowance for the Titans includes restaurants; and technically it’s still usable until the end of the month. Even if I left.”

“Oh, are you sure the Mayor would be alright with that?”

“He’s getting a break from politics. I don’t see why he wouldn’t. Besides, it isn’t like they expected something like this to happen.”

“Okay, anything else before we go?” Holly asked after Raven finished the final touches on her dress—one that left no skin exposed below her neck except for her hands.

“Nothing comes to mind. Ready?”

Holly nodded in response, and with that, Raven encased them in obsidian and transported them out of the room.

.

*0o

.

The Mayor, a hearty man in this early fifties, waved happily at the two women when he saw them entering the restaurant. Raven and Holly worked their way over and sat down without a word.

“So glad you called, Ms. Roth.” The Mayor half stood up and shook each of their hands. “And a pleasure to meet you, Miss…”

“Just Holly, please.”

“Of course,” he gave a toothy smile and sat back down. “So, what’s this I hear about a job, Ms. Roth?”

“Yes, I just started last week. Nothing too much, but a start nonetheless. And please, Raven will do.”

“Of course, of course. I apologize, but it’s very exciting for me to see a Titan enter the workforce. It is, ah, rare; and I think it will be something we’ll be seeing more of in the future.”

“Perhaps. There are more than a few Honorary Titans who intend to follow their own dreams.”

“Indeed, indeed. I am concerned though. If too many enter the workforce at once, I’m not sure how people will react. Or how the Titans will adjust, for that matter.” The Mayor waved up one of his hands, and a waiter came by with a tall bottle of wine.

“And what do you mean by how the people will react?” Raven inquired, all the while Holly put on a pleasant face and sat quietly.

“Ah, you see, there have been some growing tensions between meta-humans and, well, normal people.”

“Any scuffles?”

“No, and I’m hoping that you could help out a tad, before it turns into something like that.”

“Tensions are expected to an extent, I don’t see how I could help very much.”

“Well,” the Mayor gripped the wine bottle and poured each of them a glass, “I was hoping that we could stay in touch as you get used to living as a normal citizen. Nothing too much. Meet up every few weeks and talk about things that were different, any troubles you had. I want to know what issues former heroes might face going into a civilian life, you see. I thought that if we knew, then we might be able to prepare them better—or at least know what they’re going through.”

“And I thought you disliked politics.” Raven noted.

“Aha, not at all. I just don’t like the formalities of it. I like this, though. Just a few people having a casual conversation.”

“Well, I see no issues with meeting once a month…”

“Excellent! And I believe you were looking for an apartment? But first,” he held up his wine glass, “it’s a personal favorite, right from our city’s vinery.” He gave another toothy smile and made a small toast. They all took a small sip, the Mayor letting the drink sit in his mouth for a few seconds as he soaked in the taste.

Raven squeezed her eyes shut for a second after downing the wine, but forced them back open and carried on the conversation.

“So, an apartment.” She reigned the conversation back to their purpose for going.

“Ah, yes! I can find a way to get a deal on one. Or perhaps have it paid for by the city, depending…” He trailed off.

“Depending on…” Holly pressed.

He grinned from behind his glass of wine. “I was thinking, it might be helpful for heroes that are adjusting to city to have somebody to talk to. Someone who they could connect to.”

Raven had expected a request of some sort, and mentally rolled her eyes in amusement at his way of approaching it. “How often would this be, if I decide to?”

“Twice a month? I was thinking that would be enough for now. It is only a few heroes that we know plan on entering a civilian life. And if it goes well, perhaps we could include meta-humans as well.”

“Perhaps.” Raven faked a smile back at him. She felt her stomach churn and twist, and felt relief when their preordered food arrived.

“I apologize, but I must excuse myself. Please, enjoy the meal. I’ll be back in a few moments.” Raven pushed back her chair and stood up quickly, becoming lightheaded as she did. Gripping the chair to steady herself, she made her way to the restrooms.

Holly gave him a brief smile and started working on the thick steak that the waiter sat in front of her.

.

*0o

.

“What time is it?” Holly asked in between bites of her food.

“Eight-fifteen. She’s been in there for almost ten minutes.” The Mayor looked at his watch after washing down his food with another sip of wine.

“I’d like to go check on her, if you don’t mind. I’ll be right back.”

“Oh, of course. How sweet.” He said good naturedly.

Holly stood up and started for the restrooms, leaving the Mayor in solitude for a few minutes.

In the restroom, Holly heard the heaving of somebody vomiting before she found Raven in the half opened stall. Walking up behind her, she reached forward and pulled her partner’s hair back and out of the way as she heaved again. When she thought she was done, Raven cleared her throat a few times and stood up from her bent over position.

“I didn’t think you got sick.”

“I don’t.” Raven turned to meet Holly, who radiated disbelief. “My body just can’t handle alcohol very well.” She tried to straighten her dress out, but was swatted away by Holly, who was already doing so.

“Not very well?”

“Not at all. Happy?” Raven relented, and started washing her hands in the sink.

“You were vomiting, why would I be happy?”

Raven bit her lip.

“Okay, then why did you drink the wine if you knew?”

“His family own that vineyard. It would’ve appeared rude if I didn’t.”

“You shouldn’t do that to yourself. Now, the foods out and he’s waiting.”

“Alright, let’s go.” Raven dried off her hands, rinsed her mouth, and walked towards the door.

“Wait!” Holly caught her shoulder, stopping Raven and turning her around.

“Little bit left.” She explained, reaching for a paper towel and dabbing some residue off the corner of her partner’s mouth.

“Thanks.” Raven gave her a smile, and the two walked out together.

**Author's Note:**

> R&R please! Much appreciated.  
> Also, there is an epilogue to this story up on Fanfiction.net under the same title and username


End file.
